Man of the World
by Xarhaa
Summary: What if Desmond had been able to resist the compulsion to kill Lucy? AU, starting at the end of AC:B. Book I of Assassin's Creed: Worlds.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and Ubisoft obviously has the rights to the characters, situations, trademarks, and any other legal stuff I am leaving out cause IANAL. **_

_**A/N: What if Desmond had been able to resist the compulsion to kill Lucy? **_

_**The sequel to this story is "Light of the World." **_

* * *

**Man of the World – An Assassin's Creed fanfic **

**Chapter 1**

The moment the Apple activated, Desmond could feel it. It was as if a bell had been struck, and the vibration of it froze Desmond in place.

"What's happening? I can't move..."

"_Your DNA communes with the Apple. You have activated it."_

Desmond grunted, straining against the invisible force that now held him in its grasp.

"Let me go!"

The choral voice continued as if he had not spoken.

"_On the 72nd day before the moment of awakening, You, birthed from our loins and the loins of our enemies. The end and the beginning, who we abhor and honor. The final journey commences."_

Desmond was unable to act as the voice continued.

"_There is one who would accompany you through the gate. She lies not within our sight. The cross darkens the horizon."_

Desmond's body moved of its own accord, the Apple resting easily in one hand. It was the strangest sensation, being moved like a marionette. Briefly, he wondered if his ancestors had felt this way during his Animus sessions.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded in the silence of his mind, for his lips remained frozen by the same power that prevented his willful movement.

The choral voice responded.

"_The Path must be opened."_

On his left hand, his fingers twitched, releasing his Hidden Blade from the sheath, and the choral voice admonished him.

"_You cannot escape your part in this. The scales shall be balanced."_

There was a pulse that vibrated through him, and to his horror, his foot moved obediently across the floor. Another pulse, another step, and Desmond realized the force was guiding him towards Lucy.

Panic set in.

"Stop. Please!"

The choral voice snapped back, _"You know very little. We must guide you."_

Two more pulses, and Desmond was close enough now to smell Lucy's favorite shampoo. He struggled to stop himself with every fiber of his being.

The choral voice snarled,_ "Cease your struggle!"_

Despite his efforts, another pulse, another step, and now his left hand moved back to strike.

"No!" The others were seemingly frozen in the moment, and did not hear the agony in his voice. The moment seemed to stretch forever, and Desmond struggled frantically against the invisible force that held him captive. If he could have wept, he would have.

With all his being, he called, "Someone please...help me! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!"

To his surprise, new voices responded to his cry.

"_We will help you."_

This chorus of voices was male, and he recognized with a shock of relief Altair's Arabic intermingled with Ezio's Italian.

Desmond felt the barest amount of control return to his limbs, and in that split second he dropped to his knees, slamming his Hidden Blade into the floor at Lucy's feet.

He heard the choral voices shout in his head, his teeth rattling from the vibration.

"_Do not interfere! This must be!_"

Desmond's voice joined with that of his ancestors as he roared, "NO!"

The moment was still slowed as Lucy looked down at him, her blue eyes wide with shock. He looked up at her desperately, and as he pushed back against the control once more, he managed to growl, "Get away from me!"

Lucy stumbled away from him, her expression suddenly terrified and he saw the others turn to stare at him in surprise.

Desmond shuddered, and the Apple flared. Between one breath and the next, pain bloomed in his chest. It was agony, spreading like fire through his veins, and he pushed back long enough to tip his head back and scream.

Altair and Ezio screamed with him, and the chorus of their shared agony echoed from the walls in the vault.

The golden symbols stopped their dance in the air and coalesced into the form of Juno, who glared sternly at Desmond's bent form.

"Cease your struggle!" she admonished him, and this time her words echoed with his scream from the walls in the Temple.

Desmond's response was laced with the agony that pulsed through his form with every heartbeat.

"N-Never..."

Juno's face went hard, and she raised a hand. The pain increased to a level that stole Desmond's ability to scream. Tears ran down the young Assassin's face, and he crumpled fully to the floor, curled into a fetal position, the Apple still extended towards Lucy.

Dimly, Desmond heard shouting through the pain that pounded mercilessly through his brain, and something knocked the Apple from his hand. It bounced across the floor, rolling to a stop with a metallic tinkle at the base of the pedestal it had rested upon.

In another instant, the pain stopped, and Desmond's breath shuddered from his lungs from the suddenness of it. The golden light faded, and he heard Juno shout something angrily as she disappeared. The Temple went deathly quiet.

Desmond smelled Lucy's familiar scent again as she leaned over him cautiously. "Des?"

The worry in her voice warred with the images Juno had planted in his mind before the Apple had been knocked away, and Desmond felt a terrible sense of foreboding.

Desmond cradled his head protectively in his arms and mercifully passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Voices were the next thing he heard, speaking in hushed tones. His head was pounding in time with his heartbeat, and he instinctively tried to bring his hands to his face, only to find himself unable to move. Panic forced his eyes open, and a bright light seared into his head, temporarily blinding him; and he realized he was lying on the Animus, straps across his body. His hands and feet were tied with a separate set of restraints, and his Hidden Blade was gone.

Judging from the familiar musty smell of dust and aged stone, he guessed they were back in the Assassin Sanctuary under Monteriggioni.

He heard the voices stop, and his father's face intruded on his view.

"He's awake."

Desmond blinked up at his father. His throat was raw from screaming as he rasped, "Is Lucy okay?"

William Miles stared down at him for a moment before he nodded, then asked, "Do you remember what happened at the Temple, Desmond?"

Desmond nodded, then immediately winced as the movement shot pain through his skull.

Closing his eyes and turning his face from the light, he responded, "Juno...she...she tried to force me..." Shame choked him, and he managed to whisper, "She wanted me to kill Lucy."

William's tone was sober. "You resisted her. How?"

Desmond nodded, eyes still closed, and tears built behind his lids at the memory of the pain she'd inflicted on him, and his answer was slow.

"Altair...and...Ezio. They helped me. She...she punished...all...of us."

Lucy's voice broke in then, as angry as Desmond had ever heard her.

"For God's sake, you've got him tied down so tight it's a wonder you're not cutting off circulation! I want to see him!"

Desmond heard a break in her voice as she added, "He won't hurt me! Wasn't what he went through at the Temple enough to prove that?"

In the next instant, his father was roughly pushed away, and Lucy's face was close to his. Her eyes were reddened from crying, and relief flooded her expression as he opened his eyes to look at her.

"Desmond...thank God."

Her voice trembled, and her hand touched his face gently, her blue eyes filled with tears.

"Are...are you okay? She...that bitch hurt you. She hurt you because of me..."

The pain and guilt in her gaze was like a knife in the heart, and it twisted further as the last images Juno had seared into his brain played out once more.

_Lucy handing the Apple to Vidic, her blue eyes troubled. "I'm sorry, Desmond."_

_A satellite bearing the Abstergo logo lighting up slowly, the faint golden gleam of the Apple within barely visible..._

Desmond shuddered, and the images were interrupted as Lucy cupped his face in her hands. They were cool and dry, and her breath was warm as she whispered miserably.

"I'm so sorry, Desmond..."

Desmond managed to shake his head.

"Lucy...don't cry. It'll be okay..." He had to believe that it would be.

She leaned against him, and he wished he could have wrapped an arm around her. His muscles tensed uselessly against the restraints. Lucy saw the movement and anger flared in her gaze. Furiously, she ripped at the restraints, and Desmond saw the others pull her away.

"Lucy! Stop!"

William's voice was commanding, and Lucy wrenched her arm out of Rebecca's grasp angrily, turning on the older man, her voice a shriek.

"No! God damn you, William! How can you treat your own son like this?"

William's expression was shocked, but his voice was cold as he replied, "You're out of line Lucy. We don't know if Desmond will turn on us or try to kill you again. Until we know more of what that thing did to him, he stays under guard."

"Lucy."

Desmond's voice was stronger now, and everyone turned to look at him.

"This is probably the only time you're ever going to hear me say this, but he's right." Lucy shook her head angrily. "But Desmond..."

Desmond's tone was resolute as he said quietly, "It'll be okay Lucy." Seeing her preparing to argue again, he forced himself to crack a wry smile.

"Besides, my ass groove in the Animus will get lonely if I'm not in it at least 20 hours a day."

Desmond saw shock play across Lucy's face, her argument completely derailed.

Shaun's voice broke in as he groaned, "Oh bloody hell! Now I'm going to have the thought of Desmond's ass seared in my brain for days!" The historian put his head into his hands and left the room, mumbling curses as he went.

Lucy watched the historian retreat, and sighed, still looking upset. Her gaze went back to Desmond. Desmond pretended to wriggle deeper into the Animus, and when Lucy blushed, Desmond deliberately winked at her, his grin genuine now.

Lucy laughed helplessly, shaking her head. "Desmond, that's ridiculous."

William cleared his throat.

"We need to pack up and move out. You've stayed here far too long, and the Templars are sure to track us down if we linger much longer. We'll move to the hideout in Florence. Rebecca, Lucy, start packing up the van."

Rebecca and Lucy left the room, and as William turned to follow them, Desmond said, "Dad, wait."

William turned to look at his son, and he was surprised to see all of Desmond's easy humor gone. His son's honey-dark gaze was deadly serious, and Desmond's voice was quiet as he said, "Dad, Juno showed me something else...at the end, that I think you should know."

William blinked, stepping closer to Desmond.

"What is it son?"

Desmond sighed, and his throat closed for a moment before he whispered, "Lucy's a Templar."

William went very still for a moment, then asked quietly, "Do you have anything other than what Juno showed you to support that statement?"

Desmond hesitated a moment, then shook his head.

William sighed. "The Apple is capable of making one believe anything its wielder wants. You saw that yourself in Altair's memories. Likely Juno just planted that thought in your head to try and make you go along with what she wanted. Get some rest Desmond. I've got to go help the others."

He turned to leave again, and Desmond asked, "Where's the Apple?" His father didn't turn back to face him as he replied, "Safe. Don't worry about it and get some rest."

Desmond let himself relax against the restraints as his father strode out of the Vault. Strangely, he wanted to believe his father was right and the visions he'd seen were just Juno screwing with him.

A small grin quirked his mouth as he realized it was likely the first time in his life he'd ever truly wanted to believe something his father said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Fruitlessly, Desmond tried to concentrate on anything but the pounding of his headache. Eventually he resorted to an old technique of Altair's, mumbling the Creed repeatedly in Arabic to take his focus away from the pain.

He must have dozed for a time, because he roused at a touch to his chest.

"Des?" Lucy's voice was soft. The scent of her shampoo was now mixed with a faint tang of sweat and the smell of her leather jacket.

He opened his eyes once more, and she pressed two white pills to his lips. "Take these. Your father probably didn't notice, but I saw the way you winced when you moved your head."

Desmond opened his mouth obediently, swallowing the pills with the water Lucy poured carefully into his mouth. He licked his lips, and Lucy immediately offered him more water. He drank half of the water in her stainless steel water bottle, swallow by swallow. Lucy gently wiped away the water that dribbled down his chin with her sleeve.

Desmond felt some of the pain in his head bleed away, and he sighed in relief.

"Those pills really helped my headache, Luce. Thanks."

Lucy smiled at him before waggling her finger at him playfully. "They're Percoset. So long as you don't ask me where I got em. Rebecca would kill me if she knew I took them...oops."

Desmond's brow rose, and he said teasingly, "I didn't peg Becca as the kind to carry around the serious painkillers." Lucy grinned conspiratorially. "If you think that's good, you should hear what I found in Shaun's laptop bag one time..."

Shaun's voice broke in indignantly. "I'll have you know that was for research, and what were you doing looking in there anyway?"

Lucy looked embarrassed. "I was going to borrow your wireless mouse and I noticed it in there...I mean, there wasn't any way I couldn't have noticed it, what with all the naked women on the cover..."

Desmond grinned as Shaun blushed hotly, nervously adjusting his glasses. "That was a guide to Renaissance era artwork so I could identify the artwork in Ezio's Villa!" Desmond shook his head and asked the flustered historian, "Shaun, if you wanted to know what they were, why didn't you ask me? Ezio was very familiar with those paintings, since he picked them himself."

Shaun's blush went several shades deeper, and Desmond laughed as he hastily picked up a crate. William's voice interrupted the fun. "Shaun, is that the last crate?" The historian nodded. "Other than the Animus, unless you want us to move it with Desmond on it. Given how bloody heavy he is, that could be awkward to get into the van."

William shook his head as Rebecca came into the Sanctuary, looking upset. "I'll take care of Desmond, Shaun. Get that last crate moved." Shaun moved out of the room with the crate, and William looked at Lucy.

"Lucy, this is for his own good. I know you disagree, but don't interfere."

Desmond watched Lucy tense, but she didn't move as his father turned to face him, and his blood froze in his veins as he noticed the glint of a handgun in his father's hand.

"Desmond, I'm going to unstrap you. Don't try anything, son."

Desmond kept his gaze trained on the gun as his father loosened the straps. Lucy's expression was murderous as he got up slowly from the Animus, keeping his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

William pulled out a set of handcuffs from his pocket. "Rebecca."

Rebecca didn't meet Desmond or Lucy's gaze as she gently pulled his arms behind his back, snapping the handcuffs over his wrists. "Sorry, Des," she muttered as William motioned with the gun.

"Desmond, you have point."

Desmond squared his shoulders against the pull of the handcuffs, his back straight as he walked slowly towards the exit. He could almost feel the gun he knew his father pointed unerringly at his spine, and swallowed the shame that rose in his throat.

The sunlight was almost too bright as he stepped out of the Sanctuary. Shaun waited silently by the van as Desmond moved up, stopping just outside it. The wind was not warm as it whipped past them, bearing the chill of winter. Desmond shivered in his hoodie, and his father's voice spoke from behind him once again.

"Into the van, son."

Desmond stepped up into the van, seating himself in his usual place while Shaun closed the heavy stone door that lead into the Sanctuary. It wasn't until William had stretched a seat belt across Desmond's shoulder that he tucked the gun back into his jacket. The others silently got into the van and Rebecca started it, pulling out of the Villa courtyard.

Desmond wished he could look back towards the Villa he was fairly sure he'd never see again. For a short time it had been something like home, though whether those were his emotions or Ezio's he wasn't sure. Lucy's expression was stony, her eyes bright with anger she wasn't expressing.

William sighed as they pulled out into the town. "Desmond, I'm sorry. I hope you know I don't want to do this to you."

Desmond was silent, and the van drove on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After a few hours of silence, Rebecca turned on the radio just to have background noise. Desmond was the only one who could understand the station, so he listened idly, flexing against the handcuffs periodically to maintain feeling in his arms and shoulders.

After awhile, a song he recognized came on – he wracked his brain to remember the name of the band. Lacuna Coil. They were singing the familiar song in Italian, and he seemed to remember someone telling him they were from Italy. He closed his eyes, and after a moment, he began to sing along in Ezio's fluid Italian.

There was silence as he sang, and he kept his eyes closed until the last notes of the song faded. When he opened his eyes again, Lucy was staring at him with shocked awe.

Desmond blushed, suddenly embarrassed.

Lucy said softly, "Des...that was amazing. Where did you learn to sing like that?" Desmond tried to shrug against the handcuffs, not meeting her gaze.

"I used to sing along to the radio when I was closing the bar."

William snorted. "Singing isn't a useful trait for an Assassin, unless you need to infiltrate a musical." Desmond went silent, his gaze once again on his sneakers, and Lucy's temper flared.

"Do you always have to be such an asshole, William?"

William turned to face her, his expression becoming angry. "I thought better of you Lucy. You've always been dedicated to the work of the Assassins...I expect frivolous behavior from Desmond, but not from you. What has gotten into you?"

Lucy glared at the older man. "'What has gotten into me' is seeing firsthand how horribly you treat your own son! If this was how you treated him growing up, it's no wonder he ran away!"

William's expression tightened.

"Don't lecture me, Lucy. I do what I have to in order to ensure the Templars don't enslave all of humanity! If that involves being an 'asshole' then so be it."

Desmond's voice broke the silence.

"Stop it, both of you. This isn't helping anyone."

Lucy glared at William but backed off. The van ride went once more to silence until Rebecca said with some relief, "We're coming up on the hideout now."

William stretched a little. "Good. Let's get situated."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Desmond sighed with relief as he stretched his arms. His father had allowed him to move around the compound unrestrained, though he was shadowed by an Assassin at all times. The Assassin hideout was fairly comfortable, consisting of a suite of rooms under an old hotel.

Lucy's voice spoke from behind him, addressing the silent Assassin who watched him. "I'll watch him. You're relieved."

The hooded man who'd watched Desmond pace around the bedroom for the past several hours nodded and left silently.

Desmond turned to face Lucy, and noted that instead of her usual blouse and jeans, she wore instead a plain white T-shirt and sweats, her blonde hair down and freshly washed. In her hands was a set of clean clothing. "I managed to find these for you...they should fit. You've been wearing that hoodie and jeans for weeks."

The dark-haired Assassin nodded. "Thanks Luce. There a shower around here?" Lucy nodded. "It's down the hall to the left...I'll show you."

Desmond made his way to the shower, and Lucy waited outside the closed stall as he stripped out of his clothing, kicking them aside as he turned on the water, stepping under it when it was warm.

He sighed as the hot water soothed cramped muscles, wasting no time in washing his hair and scrubbing the dirt from his skin. He saw Lucy's hand flip a towel over the top of the stall, and he took it gratefully, drying himself off and slipping on the clean sweats and T-shirt.

Desmond stepped out of the stall and stretched. Lucy smiled at him. "You look a lot more relaxed, Des...any more headaches?"

Desmond shook his head. "Nope." Lucy sighed as she led him back to his room. "Your father insists you stay here while they examine the Apple. He says it doesn't seem to respond to anyone else."

Some worry Desmond couldn't place was in her eyes for an instant before she smiled at him once more.

"So I guess that means we're stuck here."

Desmond sat on the bed. "What about Shaun and Rebecca?"

Lucy shook her head. "Rebecca is out shopping and Shaun is museum-hopping. William agreed to let them take a break." She hesitated before adding, "They both offered to watch you – yes, even Shaun – but I'm not one for clothes shopping or museums."

Desmond sighed, laying back on the bed, pillowing his head on his arms. It had been a long time since he'd been able to sleep in a real bed – ironically since his time at Abstergo, months before. It seemed like ages ago now, and he tried to push the memories from his mind.

Lucy sat beside him, her hands in her lap. He looked up at her, and her breath caught in her throat. He was totally relaxed, his gaze glinting golden behind slitted eyes. Desmond didn't move as her hand tentatively touched his face.

"You look more like them than your father, you know," she said.

Desmond blinked slowly, and his voice was soft as he replied, "I've never really thought of it that way, but I suppose you're right." He snorted softly. "At least I can say resembling someone in my family is a good thing when it comes to that."

Lucy sighed, her tone becoming frustrated.

"Why do you let him treat you like that, Des?"

Desmond's gaze was far away as he replied, "I guess even after all these years, a part of me is still afraid of him." Lucy went tense. "What do you mean?"

Desmond sighed, and the golden gaze turned away from her.

"When I was a kid, if I screwed up in training he'd beat me. He never showed any anger in front of anyone else, but he didn't have any restraint in private."

Lucy's hand tentatively took Desmond's, and he squeezed her hand as she asked, "What about your mom? Didn't she do anything?"

Desmond shook his head. "Mom was afraid of him too, I think. Or she tried to convince herself it was to help me improve. The one time I told her about it, she told me that Dad meant well, and that I should work harder."

Lucy's hand squeezed his. "That's terrible."

Desmond sighed, stretching.

"It's part of why I ran away – the other reason was because I was really sick of hearing over and over how the Templars were after us and would kill us if we were found...nothing ever happened, and it seemed like it never would."

He smiled sadly, his gaze darkening.

"I guess my father was right about that after all."

After a few minutes, Lucy said, "I'll go see if there's any dinner, Des...what do you want?" Her response was a soft snore, and she looked down to see that Desmond had fallen asleep, his dark lashes surprisingly long against his cheeks.

Swallowing a sudden lump in her throat, she began to move from her spot on the bed. To her surprise, Desmond's hand tightened on hers. "Don't go." Desmond murmured. His eyes opened, the deep color in them holding her in place as surely as his hand. Her mouth went dry. "It's been a long time since I've had anyone...close like this. It's nice. Stay with me a few more minutes?"

Lucy nodded, and then on a whim, she lay beside him. Desmond sighed as her warmth pressed into his side. He could smell the scent of her skin, a mix of hotel soap and her shampoo. Idly he wondered if she carried it in her pocket, since she never seemed to have a backpack or purse.

He felt Lucy's hand trace idly up his chest, her head on his shoulder. The feel of her fingers and the press of her warmth against him awoke hunger in him. It'd been months since he'd had any inclination for sex – his sessions in the Animus at Abstergo and at the Assassins hideouts had sapped his energy to the point he could barely fall into the sleeping bag most nights.

It wasn't that he hadn't been affected by reliving each of Ezio's conquests, the team had always allowed him a few minutes to "compose himself" after particularly intense memories, and he'd noticed that when she could, Rebecca would skip ahead to avoid as many of the erotic ones as she could. He wanted to laugh a little – his illustrious ancestor had certainly gotten around.

Still, he couldn't quite suppress a purr of pleasure as Lucy's hand continued its idle wanderings over his chest. He felt her move, and her eyes focused on his face as he purred again, teasingly this time. Lucy smiled at him. "You like that, hmm?"

Desmond nodded, the purr rumbling in his chest again as Lucy's hand dove under his T-shirt, caressing his bare skin. The rational part of Lucy's brain screamed at her as she ran her hands over Desmond's warm skin once more. His muscles tensed deliciously under her as she became more bold in her explorations.

Desmond sat up, and Lucy did not move as he kissed her lingeringly. Her blue eyes were wide as he released her from the kiss and said softly, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." Lucy's mind renewed listing every reason this was wrong, but she ignored it as she replied, "Oh...really?"

Desmond nodded, and Lucy smiled.

Desmond's arms came up to wrap her close as she kissed him. Lucy felt a thrill go through her. It had been a long time for her as well, and now her desire overrode all rational thought.

Reliving Ezio's memories was nothing compared to the physical reality of Lucy's form beneath him, their bodies moving in sync.

Afterwards, Desmond moved away from Lucy, and she shivered at the sudden removal of his warmth.

He pulled up the blankets they'd kicked off the bed in their urgency, covering them both. Lucy cuddled back into the circle of Desmond's arm again, her eyes drowsy and content for the first time Desmond could remember.

Desmond's mind was quiet as he held Lucy close and went to sleep, and no nightmares disturbed his rest.

* * *

There was a deliberately loud knock at the door, and Desmond's eyes snapped open. Lucy didn't stir from her place in the crook of his arm, and he looked down at her. She was still fast asleep, and for her to sleep through something that would wake him meant she must be exhausted.

Gently, he untangled himself from her, covering her with the blanket. He got up, pulling on his sweats and padding to the door, pulling it open.

His father stood on the other side of the door-frame, his gaze becoming disapproving as he noted Desmond's partially-clad state. "I suppose Lucy is still in your room?" he said.

Desmond frowned, his stance becoming protective. "Asleep."

William sighed. "Wake her up and get dressed, both of you. Breakfast is in 15 minutes, and after that we're going to meet to discuss what Rebecca's gleaned from the Apple."

Desmond frowned. "Good morning to you too, Dad." William glared at Desmond. "This isn't a vacation, Desmond, and I'm still not sure how I feel about you taking advantage of Lucy."

Desmond bristled and his voice was a low growl as he said, "Are you accusing me of forcing her?"

Desmond's hands trembled with rage, and he turned as Lucy's hand touched his arm gently. She had wrapped herself in the blanket.

She pulled the door open the rest of the way and faced the elder Assassin, her expression stony.

In a firm voice she said, "Desmond did not force me to do anything, and for you to make that assumption makes me almost reconsider preventing him from beating you senseless. We'll be there shortly."

Desmond tensed against Lucy's hand as William opened his mouth to protest and then apparently thought the better of it before turning and heading back down the hallway.

Lucy pulled Desmond not-unwillingly back into the room, shutting the door firmly.

"I know he pissed you off Des, but try not to lose your temper in front of the others."

Desmond growled as he pulled on his clothes. "What I wouldn't give for a few minutes alone with him in an alley right now, Luce."

Lucy sighed, winding her arms around him and kissing him deeply. Desmond relaxed a little, returning the kiss, though anger still burned in the golden gaze as he released her.

"For the record Des, I haven't had sex like that since...ever, really. I didn't date much in college, and the guys I slept with definitely didn't have centuries of experience to draw on."

Lucy smiled at Desmond's stunned look, and she was happy to see him relax fully, the anger fading from his eyes as he laughed.

"I never thought of it that way but I suppose I do have more experience than the average guy – by proxy."

Lucy smiled at him, her gaze sultry. "The Bleeding Effect obviously works for more than fighting skills. You were amazing last night." Desmond grinned slyly. "Ezio knew a lot more than what we did last night Luce...if you're ever curious, that is."

Lucy grinned at him, her blue eyes wicked.

"That's a worthy goal Des, but right now I think we should eat something before we try to break any of Ezio's records."

Desmond laughed as they left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Desmond felt the eyes of everyone on him as he and Lucy entered the conference room later that morning. As he sat down in one of the worn leather chairs, Shaun leaned over to Desmond, murmuring in his ear. "What'd you do to piss Bill off so bad? He was fit to be tied when he came from your room." Desmond's expression went flat, his golden eyes like topaz.

Shaun looked askance at Lucy, who shrugged, miming a sign for "I'll tell you later."

William cleared his throat. "If you ladies are done gossiping, can we get to business?"

Desmond kept his gaze on his father, his expression not changing one iota. Rebecca stood up, clearing her throat nervously. "Well, after hooking up the Apple to a few computers, I can safely say its not powered by any known energy we utilize today. After the...uh...incident in the Colosseum Temple, no one's been able to activate it. We think it requires...a certain amount of First Civilization DNA to even turn it on."

The table turned as one to stare at Desmond, who hadn't moved.

There was an uncomfortable silence, and then William spoke. "Desmond, I'd like you to attempt to use it...outside the confines of the Temple, it ought to be safe..."

Desmond's tone was hard as he said, "You don't know that. It took everything I had and then some to fight off Thier influence in the Temple, and you want me to go through that again?" He glanced at Lucy, then back at his father.

"No."

William snarled. "You're not willing to try because you're afraid of a little pain? You're a coward, Desmond."

The room went deathly silent as Desmond rose to his feet. "You're one to talk of cowardice. They're your ancestors too, Dad, why don't you pick up the Apple and try to use it? Oh wait, that might not be the best idea cause we'd all end up slaves under your thumb instead of the Templars."

There was a roar, and Desmond stumbled back as his father's punch connected with his jaw. "Don't you EVER compare me to them!"

Desmond caught himself as his father lunged again. He rolled to his feet with Altair's fluid grace, waiting for a moment to strike, and as his father threw another punch, he ducked it, following up with a vicious uppercut designed to kill, had he been wearing a hidden blade.

His father stumbled back, spitting teeth and blood. One Assassin caught him, and two more advanced on Desmond, guns drawn.

"Stop!" Lucy's voice was firm. The two Assassins moving towards Desmond hesitated. Lucy followed up on their hesitation with, "Do you really want to attack the guy with centuries of experience from two of the most renowned Master Assassins in our history?"

The two Assassins looked at each other, then at the crouched form of Desmond. Despite the situation, he was totally calm, balanced on the balls of his feet, waiting patiently for them to make the first move.

Desmond snarled. "If you attack me, you break the Creed. My father attacked me first." The Assassins looked at each other again, and then they stood down, holstering their guns. One bowed to Desmond. "You're right. Our apologies, Master Miles."

William managed to right himself, staring at Desmond as he relaxed, lowering his hands. He wiped blood from his mouth and snarled at the two Assassins who'd helped him up. "Take Desmond into custody. He is not to leave his room or have anyone enter without my express permission."

To William's shock, one of the Assassins shook his head, speaking quietly and formally.

"I'm sorry Mentor, but Master Miles is correct. If we imprison him for defending himself from you, we will violate the third tenant of the Creed. Regardless of your feelings, he is a Brother and has thus far done nothing wrong. He did defend himself when you hit him."

William stared incredulously at the man. "'Master Miles'? He's not worthy of the title 'Master.' He fled the Brotherhood years ago and has only been training a few months!"

The Assassin didn't even flinch as he replied, "Mentor, he is your son, born to the Assassins."

The man paused a moment, then looked at Desmond and said, "I've seen him fight, inside the Animus and out of it, thanks to your recordings. Regardless of how or where he learned the skills, he is a Master Assassin worthy of Ezio himself."

Desmond's voice was quiet as he said, "Stand down." The Assassin bowed, releasing William from his grip. "As you say, Master Miles."

William was stunned into silence as Desmond said, "Becca, do I have to be holding the Apple for it to work?" Rebecca stared at William for a moment, then looked at Desmond.

"I honestly don't know Des. I mean, it could be activated by proximity...but it seemed to shut off when it fell out of your hand..."

Desmond nodded. "Where is it?"

Rebecca glanced at William, who shook his head furiously. Desmond was calm as he moved towards her. "Rebecca, you saw what Juno did to me the last time I touched it. Set it there on the table."

The brunette swallowed hard before she obeyed Desmond's order, and the Apple glowed faintly on the worn conference table.

Desmond turned towards the four Assassins who now stood to one side of the room. "I don't know what this will do when I try to make it work. If it looks as if I am trying to attack anyone, I want you to shoot me. No one will wind up hurt because of this thing. Do you understand?"

The vocal Assassin who'd admonished his father spoke up, and Desmond saw admiration in the man's blue eyes as he nodded. "Yes, Master Miles."

Desmond focused on the faintly glowing form of the Apple, taking a deep breath. He switched to Eagle Vision and extended his left hand towards the Apple. It glowed faintly in his Vision, and he banished all distractions as he focused all his thoughts on it.

Dimly outside the place he was, he heard gasps of wonder, but he ignored them as he focused harder on the Apple, feeling energy drain from him. He became aware of a presence on either side of him, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the hooded forms of Altair and Ezio standing with him, their hands also extended towards the Apple.

He felt strength flood him anew. Altair's cool logic and guarded compassion, Ezio's fiery temper and calculating manner. His lips moved in thanks of the native language of each man before his power joined with theirs. The Apple flared again as it had in the Temple, and golden symbols danced above it.

Desmond heard the chatter of many voices seemingly overlapping – visions flitted past and he struggled to focus on the overload of information.

_Lucy handing Vidic the Apple, sadness in her gaze._

_The satellite lighting up, the faint golden glow in its center..._

_A Grand Temple close to a modern city..._

His head began to pound, and he released his grip on the visions, unable to bear the information flow anymore...it was like trying to hold back a rushing river with a bucket. The Apple's glow faded as he lowered his hand, and he blinked back to normal vision.

Lucy's hand steadied him as he sat down in his chair again heavily, his breath shuddering in his chest. The room was silent a few minutes before Rebecca said, "That was the coolest thing I've ever seen, Des!"

Desmond looked up. He felt incredibly weary, as if he'd run a marathon, and his head pounded with the familiar headache. "What was?" he asked, and the words dropped from his lips like stones.

Rebecca almost squealed. "It lit up like it did in the Temple, and then we saw Altair and Ezio appear beside you! They were holding their hands out like yours, and the Apple glowed...we saw a bunch of images, but we couldn't record them fast enough..." She looked at him, and her face was concerned.

"Are you okay? You're pale..."

Desmond nodded slowly.

"Just a headache...I was able...to see a few things. Trying to...to make sense of it all...there was so much..."

Desmond shuddered. "I know a couple of things. They can't use it to try and control me unless I'm in a Temple...and even then, I can fight it..." He looked seriously at them. "But you...normal people can't. Anyone without...without the right mix of DNA will obey whatever the wielder of the Apple wishes."

William finally spoke up from the chair he sat in.

"What else did you see, son?"

Desmond sighed, putting his head into his hands. "There's a Grand Temple near the coordinates Ezio found in the Roman vault. The Apple...or whatever, the First Civilization guys want us to go there. There's...something coming...something terrible...it'll be here soon. We don't have much time."

William's tone was urgent as he spoke next.

"How much time do we have, Desmond?"

Desmond shook his head. "I couldn't get a sense of that...only that it'll be soon."

William shook his head. "That's not good enough, Desmond. You need to activate it again and find out."

Desmond shook his head again.

"I...I need to rest first. I don't think I'd even be able to turn it on right now. Doing that...it takes a lot of...energy."

William slammed his hand down on the table. "Desmond - " he began, but he was cut off by Lucy.

"No, William. You don't get to call the shots right now." She looked at Desmond. "What do you need, Des?"

Desmond rose from the chair, unsteady on his feet. "Some of those awesome painkillers would be great, and a weeks' sleep." Silently, Rebecca handed over some of the familiar white pills, and Desmond swallowed them dry, grimacing.

"What about the Apple?" Rebecca looked at it. It pulsed faintly, and Desmond sighed. "Do we have a secure place to keep it?" Rebecca hesitated, glancing at William, then shook her head. Desmond thought a moment, then turned to the Assassin who'd supported him.

"What's your name?"

The Assassin grinned. "Kyle, sir."

Desmond offered the man a tight grin. "Kyle, in my room there's a messenger bag. Could you get it for me, please? I'd do it, but you'd probably have to carry my ass back here."

He heard Shaun snort, and Lucy shot the historian a dark look.

Kyle nodded, bowing. "At once, Master Miles."

Kyle returned a few moments later holding the bag, and Desmond unceremoniously scooped up the Apple and deposited it into the bag.

"That'll do for now...better one of us carry it than we risk leaving it somewhere."

Kyle immediately offered the bag to Desmond. "Since you're the only one who can use it sir, I think it best if you carry it."

There was a profound silence as Desmond took the bag. "If you really think so."

Lucy guided him back towards the bedroom and silently helped him undress. He crawled into the bed, grateful for the blanket's warmth. Lucy stroked his face once, and leaned in to whisper, "I'd stay and make sure you got to sleep properly, but someone will need to do damage control out there...and that's my specialty."

Desmond's grin was wicked, and his eyes glinted as he responded, "I think you sell yourself short in the specialty department, Luce." Lucy blushed hotly, depositing a hasty kiss on Desmond's scarred lips before she moved away from the bed.

Before the door had closed behind her, Desmond was asleep.

* * *

Halfway down the hallway, Lucy felt her cell phone buzz, the sound indicating she had a new text message.

Stepping quickly into an alcove, she read the text.

"Lack of updates is concerning. U ok?"

Quickly, she typed a reply.

"Fine. People around, will update later."

She shoved the phone back in her pocket, and before she'd moved another step, it went off again.

"Don't wait too long."

Lucy pursed her lips tightly as she deleted the thread and turned off the phone.

**A/N: Right. I don't know how many times I read over this chapter and I missed every time that I got the number of Assassins wrong...there are three, not four...it's been corrected.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"_Buongiorno amico mio. Awaken Desmond, for we have much to discuss. Bring the Apple."_

Ezio's voice intruded on his rather nice dream, and he felt a presence in the room. He could smell the other man, a mix of cologne, dust and leather. Desmond's eyes opened to the dimness of the room, and he could see the movement of the Master Assassin's black robes in the faint light.

He felt strangely calm about seeing the form standing at the foot of the bed, despite his mind telling him matter-of-factly the Italian Assassin had been dead some three hundred years. The Apple glowed brightly in his messenger bag.

Lucy had obviously come to bed some time before. She slept on, her blonde hair spread out around her like a wreath. Desmond looked down at her, feeling his throat close. He'd studiously tried to avoid thinking about her appearance before, but now her beauty struck him to the heart.

Desmond slid carefully out of bed, not wanting to wake Lucy. He paused to pull the blankets over her before he silently pulled on his clothes, picking up his shoes in one hand. He froze as Lucy stirred, but she didn't wake, and he let out a soft sigh of relief.

He heard the Italian chuckle softly, and he raised his honeyed eyes to meet the other man's dark ones. Ezio's gaze was knowing and surprisingly tender. Desmond padded silently out of the room, holding the bag that contained the Apple close to his body to muffle any sound it might make. Closing the door carefully, he stepped into his shoes.

Ezio waited somewhat impatiently while he bent and tied his shoes, and Desmond muttered a curse as he heard someone speak.

"Who's there?"

What Desmond was going to say froze in his throat as he watched a guard round the corner and stop dead, his eyes staring not at Desmond, but at the tall, robed figure beside him. Ezio gave the man a quiet order, but the man just looked confused.

Desmond realized the man couldn't understand the Italian Assassin, and translated.

"He says to go back to your patrol."

The man simply continued to stare in shock, and Desmond sighed, muttering quietly to Ezio. "I think he's in too much shock to understand you."

Ezio sighed somewhat impatiently. "_Si_. I am afraid we do not have time for anything but direct measures."

Before Desmond could stop him, the Italian stepped towards the guard, and between one breath and the next, Ezio was laying the unconscious guard gently against the floor. "Give the man my apologies when he wakes. Come."

Ezio moved swiftly through the compound, and thankfully they only had to knock out one more guard before they reached the exit. Ezio scaled the facade of the building over the hideout easily, and Desmond followed him, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Desmond followed the Italian over several buildings. It was exhilarating for Desmond to run freely over the rooftops, the wind in his face, and the slight dampness of the rain felt delicious against his skin. He felt free, and he reveled in the feeling.

He saw Ezio shoot him an amused look as he climbed to the top of a now-unused church bell-tower.

Desmond landed silently beside the Italian, and Ezio nodded at him. "Your training has served you well, my young descendant."

Desmond sat on a box under one of the eaves, and his curiosity finally won out. "I know I followed you here without asking many questions...but now I gotta ask...how the Hell are you here? I didn't use the Apple and...you've kinda been dead hundreds of years."

Ezio chuckled softly. "Your use of the Apple in the meeting has allowed this...miracle, Desmond. I was able to manifest because you charged the Apple." Desmond frowned, opening his mouth to ask a question, but the older man shook his head. "I know you have questions, but I have little time."

Desmond watched his seemingly-solid ancestor seat himself across from the younger man on a crate.

"In order to receive the answers you seek, there is more yet to be done. In the twilight of my life, I came upon a letter from my father. It spoke of a Vault under Masayf, and of Altair. Seek that Vault, for it contains the next step in your journey. You must hurry."

Desmond nodded, rising to his feet. "I will Ezio...thank you."

Ezio began to flicker around the edges like an afterimage of the sun.

"One other thing, Desmond."

The younger man turned.

Ezio paused a moment, then said quietly, "Do not wait too long to cherish what you have with her."

Desmond was silent a long moment, then said, "I won't. I promise."

The Italian Assassin nodded. "Perhaps we will talk again. Until then, peace to you, brother."

Desmond's response was automatic. "And also to you, brother."

The sun rose over the edge of the bell-tower as Ezio faded completely, and almost on cue, his headset rang in his ear.

"_Desmond, where the hell are you?"_

His father's voice was irate, and Desmond growled as the light from the Apple faded in his bag.

"Gee Dad, I thought I'd celebrate the end of the world by going clubbing and getting drunk. Calm the fuck down, I'll explain when I get back."

Desmond was forced to take out the earpiece for a few minutes while he climbed down the church tower, the morning sun casting shadows over him. When he cautiously held to his ear again, his father had hung up.

He made his way back to the hideout, and just inside the door, Kyle was waiting for him. The other man's hood was down. Kyle was middle-aged, his blonde hair in a short military cut, and his blue eyes were amused.

"Welcome back. Have a nice run? Mentor Miles was really irate when he discovered you missing and John and Michael unconscious. He said John was babbling something about seeing you with a ghost."

Desmond sighed. "Yeah...Ezio asked me to apologize to them about that."

Kyle's eyes went wide.

"You mean...he wasn't a ghost?"

Desmond shook his head. "It's...sort of complicated. Let's just say he was an aftereffect of what happened with the Apple yesterday."

They walked in silence, and as they approached the conference room, Desmond said, "By the way, I never got a chance to thank you for helping me."

Kyle grinned. "No worries."

"_Desmond! Get your ass in here, now!"_

Desmond sighed, rolling his eyes theatrically, drawling, "Aw, the old man is really pissed now. You'd better cheese it before he sees you."

Kyle laughed, shaking his head.

Desmond went into the conference room. The two guards he and Ezio had disabled were sitting across from William, whose face was mottled red with rage.

"Desmond! Where have you been? What part of 'this isn't a vacation' didn't you get yesterday? You need to focus on finding out what we do next, not going on nightly walkabouts whenever you feel like it!"

Desmond waited patiently until his father ran out of breath, then looked at the two guards. He bowed deeply to them, and said, "Ezio wants me to pass along his sincerest apologies for knocking you guys out last night. We had to get out of the hideout to discuss some things, and he only had a limited amount of time to pass on the information. I hope you'll forgive us both."

The guards looked at each other, and then one said, "Uh...don't...don't worry about it, sir. If...if you don't mind me asking...was he real?"

Desmond grinned. "In a manner of speaking. I'm sure you've got the headache to prove that at least his gauntlets were real. Kyle told me your name was John, is that right?"

John nodded, then suddenly grinned and ribbed Michael. "See, man? I told you I wasn't hallucinating. He was really there...I got knocked out by the Grand Master Ezio himself."

William's voice broke into their fun.

"No matter how famous he was, you still failed in your duty to prevent Desmond from leaving the compound. You're both on cleanup duty for a month."

Desmond frowned.

"No. Dad, if you're going to punish someone, it should be me. I'm the one who left, and honestly, there aren't many people who would have been able to fight off Ezio. It's not their fault. Let them go."

William looked at Desmond, his gray eyes narrowed.

"Fine. Then you will take both of their punishment terms. Two months of cleanup duty...after you use the Apple again. I want to talk to Ezio myself."

Desmond was going to protest, but he saw the familiar look in his father's eyes that meant he wouldn't accept any argument. Desmond set his jaw. "Fine."

* * *

Lucy's guilt choked her as she dialed the familiar number, knowing she was taking a huge risk being so close to the hideout. She had left the compound on the excuse that she was looking for Desmond, but here she sat at a local diner, half-wishing the person she was calling wouldn't pick up.

Luck was not on her side, and Warren's voice came over the line.

"You'd better have a good explanation for the long silence, Lucy."

Lucy took a breath. "There are too many people watching me...I'm taking a huge risk even calling you. They have the Apple, and it doesn't look like anyone can activate it...something...happened to it in Rome, and since then no one's been able to get it to work."

She held her breath anxiously at Warren's silence, carefully letting the breath out when he said, "Well, bring it with you. It's time you came home."

Lucy hesitated. The thought of leaving Desmond caused an almost physical pain.

When she'd first met him, she'd thought him brash and arrogant like his father – but the weeks of hiding in the ruins of the Sanctuary and watching him in the Animus, the way he'd resisted the compulsion to kill her without a thought for himself – the tender way he'd made love to her...she was forced to conclude she'd misjudged him terribly.

Not only had she misjudged him, she was fairly sure she was in love with him.

No...she couldn't leave, and the thought of betraying him now made her stomach churn with disgust.

She had to stall until she could figure out a way to protect him, as he'd protected her.

"I...I can't leave now. Give me some more time...maybe they will figure out what's wrong with it."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, then Warren spoke.

"Lucy, you know as well as I do that we don't have much time before the satellite launches. When it does, the Apple needs to be on it."

Lucy's guilt rose again, and she fought back a quaver in her voice.

"I'll bring it to you soon. Just...just give me some time, please."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Desmond sat at the worn conference table once more, his head in his hands. John and Michael had been dismissed, and Desmond had used the Apple, finding it surprisingly easy to call out to Ezio.

By the time Ezio had fully materialized, Desmond's head hurt so badly he could barely see. His white shirt was now stained with blood from the nosebleed the strain of using the Apple had caused.

William stared incredulously at the form of the renowned Master Assassin. Ezio's hood was pulled up.

He could smell the man, a mix of leather, sweat and expensive cologne. "Ah...Ezio?" William ventured, and the Italian Assassin turned to face him.

"I'm William Miles, the current Mentor of the Assassin Order...this is the year 2012..."

Ezio blinked at him, crossing his arms across his chest. William waited, before realizing the Italian didn't understand him.

"Desmond! I need you to translate." Desmond didn't respond, and William could barely see him behind the tall form of the Italian Assassin.

Ezio's gaze went to the younger Assassin at hearing his name, and an audible gasp escaped the Master Assassin's lips. Ezio went to Desmond's side, crouching beside the chair he sat in. Ezio gently tilted Desmond's head up, pulling out a handkerchief from his robes and staunching the flow of blood from the younger man's nose.

Desmond moaned something softly, and Ezio murmured a response in Italian, gently prying open one of Desmond's eyes, looking into it with a serious expression on his face.

Desmond seemed to rouse and sat up, holding the handkerchief against his nose. His golden gaze was unfocused from pain. Ezio asked him something in fluid Italian, and Desmond responded. William was irritated now, and said sharply, "Desmond! I need you to translate for me!"

Desmond winced, closing his eyes in pain, and William found himself looking instead into the dark, angry gaze of Ezio. The Master Assassin growled something in Italian, and Desmond mumbled a response that made Ezio's eyes go wide for a moment before settling into a sternly disapproving glare.

At that moment, they heard a gasp from the doorway, and Ezio glanced over at a shocked Kyle. "Oh my God...is that...?" he managed, before William cut him off, demanding, "Do you speak Italian?"

The other man blinked before stammering, "Y-Yes Mentor...I was a translator in the military...I...I learned some." William nodded.

"Good. Since Desmond doesn't seem to be capable of anything other than drooling on himself at the moment, I need you to translate for me...Ezio doesn't speak English, and we don't have an Animus here to do it for us."

Ezio looked back and forth between them, and Kyle cleared his throat before speaking haltingly in Italian. Ezio looked sharply at him, and William was unable to follow the speed of their ensuing exchange.

Kyle looked uncomfortable as they finished, but at a stern word from Ezio, he said, "Ezio demands to know why you forced Desmond to bring him here."

William straightened as Ezio faced him, Kyle coming up to stand beside the legendary Assassin and Desmond. William began his introduction again, with Kyle translating as he spoke, and Ezio snarled something, making a cutting motion with one hand.

William paused, and Kyle translated.

"Ezio says he doesn't have time for this and has told Desmond what needs to be done." Ezio spoke again, his tone firm. Kyle translated, "He says he trusts Desmond to do what is right and for you to let him rest."

William's expression became angry, and Kyle nervously moved closer to Desmond. The shift in the other man's stance to protect Desmond was not missed by Ezio, who said something else. Kyle went pale, but translated the Italian's words.

"Ezio says that if you make a move towards Desmond, he will kill you."

William's temper frayed, and he snapped, "I am his father! I will do what is best for him – for all of us!"

Kyle translated William's words, and Ezio's expression went hard. He straightened, pulling back his hood, dark eyes flashing with anger. It took all of William's willpower not to shrink from force of that gaze.

He leveled a blade at William and spoke slowly in Italian, Kyle translating.

"Your words are worthy only of the Templars. You are no father to Desmond, and for you to call yourself an Assassin, much less Mentor of our Brotherhood is an affront to all it stands for. Has our great Brotherhood fallen so far in three hundred years? You are a disgrace to my line, William Miles. Should you or anyone else force Desmond to call upon me when the need is not dire, that action will be your last."

William couldn't speak as Ezio sheathed the blade, turning to Desmond. They both watched as Ezio picked Desmond up as if he were a child, carrying him out of the room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Lucy found him several hours later in the kitchen of the compound. She stopped just outside the doorway when she heard Desmond singing softly.

"- No home and a bag of bones and nothin' left to sell. I know why I'm in this hell – I just don't wanna believe..."

The singing stopped, and Lucy realized that Desmond's topaz gaze was focused on her. He grinned, evidently amused at having caught her eavesdropping. Lucy smiled, stepping fully into the room.

"Sorry...I like to hear you sing, Desmond. You seem...happy."

Desmond nodded. "It's relaxing...wasn't much I could do for entertainment alone in the bar most nights. My shift used to end at 4 AM."

Lucy seated herself on an edge of the counter that wasn't covered in dishes. She noted that Desmond was elbow deep in a basin of soapy water, several stacks of plates already neatly cleaned and set aside on a drying rack.

Lucy frowned at the stack. "They never heard of a dishwasher around here?"

To her surprise, Desmond laughed.

"I'm just glad they've got working plumbing and a sink indoors. When my Dad would assign me KT as a kid, he made me do it outside in the weather with a basin of hot water."

One blonde brow rose. "Are you serious?" She frowned. "I grew up outside New York...Mom and Dad were Assassins, but we lived a fairly normal life otherwise...at least until I was 17."

Desmond nodded. "Not all the Assassin compounds were as...sparse as the Farm, I found out later, but Dad was a believer in 'living off the grid.' One phone, one computer, electricity from generators...God..." Desmond shook his head. "Those generators made so much noise. Compared to that, New York was almost quiet."

Desmond began to wash dishes again, and Lucy watched him another few minutes before she slid off the counter. She was once again dressed in her usual blouse and jeans, and noticed that Desmond had changed back into his usual jeans and hoodie, the messenger bag containing the Apple slung easily across one shoulder.

She pushed him aside gently, picking up the drying towel. Desmond glanced over at her, one dark brow raised curiously.

"My Dad will be pissed if he hears I got help for my 'punishment.'"

Lucy snorted. "There's no rule that says I can't volunteer to help, and he's had you in here so many hours I was starting to wonder if you'd been crushed under all the dishes."

Desmond laughed, and the sound of his laugh thrilled Lucy as it always had. It was strange, while their mission was perhaps the most serious in the world, Desmond always managed to find humor in everything, and his laugh was easy and somehow free.

They washed dishes for a few more minutes, and Lucy said, "I was worried when you left this morning...but I assumed you had a good reason. Did you get anything else out of the Apple?"

Desmond went quiet, his eyes distant.

"Last night Ezio appeared to tell me about some other things he'd found out about when he got older. It looks like I'll be spending more time in the Animus to figure out what that was, since he didn't have time to tell me everything. When I got back, my Dad demanded I summon him again so he could talk to Ezio personally."

Desmond sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "The summon took a long time, and it took a lot out of me...by the time I finished, I couldn't see, my head hurt so bad. I think I had a nosebleed too, cause when I woke up earlier my shirt was bloody."

Desmond shook his head. "Kyle tells me it didn't go well, and Ezio apparently carried me to bed before he disappeared back into the Apple." Lucy stared at him, incredulously. "Ezio carried you? What did he and your Dad talk about?"

Desmond shook his head. "Apparently my Dad demanded answers and Ezio basically told him he had no business asking since he'd already told me."

Lucy whistled, her eyes wide. "Wow...I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that conversation." Desmond laughed a little. "He also told him he was a terrible father...and threatened to kill him if he tried to hurt me or force me to summon him again."

Desmond sighed, belying a little frustration.

"It still means our answers lie in the Animus. It's not that I hate being in the Animus...but I've really liked being...free of it, this past week."

Lucy put a hand on his shoulder, feeling the tension there. "I'm sure Becca would love a chance to try out some of the new upgrades with you. I heard she put in some new games that might make it easier to get back into it."

Desmond nodded as she began to dry the last dish. "I'll head there right after - "

His sentence was cut off by an alarm blaring, shockingly loud.

"What the fuck?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The hallways were chaos as Desmond and Lucy stepped out of the kitchen. Kyle sprinted down the hallway, tossing a gun to Desmond, who caught it deftly.

"Glad I found you, sir. We've got trouble."

Desmond checked the ammo as Kyle tossed another gun to Lucy. "What's the situation?"

Kyle snarled. "Templars, sir. Swarms of the bastards...they've got Mentor Miles, and they're tearing the place apart looking for you and the Apple. We've got to get you out of here."

Desmond nodded. "Do they have Baby? Where are Rebecca and Shaun?"

Kyle responded even as he smoothly shot a Templar who spotted them.

"Miss Crane and Mr. Hastings managed to escape in the van with our Animus, sir. They're headed for another safe-house with the others. I stayed behind to find you...I was too late to help Mentor Miles. I'm sorry, sir."

Desmond shook his head. "There's nothing we can do now. My Dad will survive...he's nothing if not stubborn when it comes to Templars. We need to find some transportation. Lucy, see if you can get one of the cars started."

Lucy nodded, sprinting towards the garage, Desmond and Kyle covering her retreat with suppressing fire. They backed down the hallway, and as Kyle kicked open the door to the Assassin's garage, they heard a shout from Lucy.

"Kyle, Desmond! Run!"

Kyle grunted as a shot hit him in the shoulder, and Desmond felt another graze his head before he heard Vidic yell, "Don't shoot him, you idiots! We need him alive!"

Desmond killed two of the Templars who hesitated at Vidic's shouts, and he saw Lucy struggling in the grip of two more, Vidic holding the gun Kyle had given her. Leveling his weapon at Vidic, he said, "Let her go, Vidic!"

Vidic smiled at him, toying with the gun he'd taken from Lucy. Desmond's finger went to the trigger.

"I won't warn you again, Vidic! Let Lucy go now!"

Vidic smirked, looking at the Abstergo guards. "You heard Mr. Miles, let her go."

Desmond stared as the guards released Lucy roughly, who stumbled. Her expression was anguished as she looked at Desmond. Vidic grinned as he helped her stand. "Ms. Stillman here played her part perfectly, though she did take longer than I'd hoped this last time to get back to us."

Kyle's expression was as shocked as Lucy expected it to be, but in Desmond's eyes she saw only sadness. He had known, she realized with horror. He had known...and he had still protected her...still loved her...

She was frozen in place as Vidic pointed the gun not at Desmond but at the prone form of Kyle. "Now then, Mr. Miles. You're going to come quietly, or Captain America over there will die. If his death doesn't motivate you to obey, then I'll have to settle for torturing your father to death in front of you."

Desmond stayed frozen for a moment longer, and Vidic snarled, "Put the gun on the floor and slide it to me with your foot."

Lucy's breath strangled in her throat as Desmond obeyed, his gun skittering across the floor, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

"Good boy, Mr. Miles," Vidic's smile was patronizing, and to the guards he said. "Restrain the subject."

Desmond did not resist as the guards roughly tied his hands behind his back. Vidic turned to Lucy.

"You know where he keeps the Apple, Ms. Stillman. Be a good girl and bring it to me, will you?"

Lucy moved mechanically towards Desmond, and as she came close to him, his gaze met hers, his eyes glittering like topaz. His familiar scent teased her nose, and she felt tears build in her eyes. He did not move as she unzipped the messenger bag, removing the Apple. It was strangely warm, glowing golden in her hand. She could feel the energy thrum through it, and Vidic's voice brought her back to reality.

"The Apple, Ms. Stillman."

Lucy turned, almost running to Vidic. She handed him the Apple, feeling a strange sense of loss as it left her hand.

Vidic smiled, admiring the Apple.

"At last. Thank you, Ms. Stillman. I'll see to it that you are properly rewarded for this."

Vidic turned away from her, pocketing the Apple. "Sedate the subject for transport." Lucy looked up as one of the guards roughly grabbed Desmond's head, forcing it back, exposing the veins of his throat. Lucy wanted to protest as the guard uncapped a needle, ignoring Desmond's struggles as he injected the sedative.

Desmond's struggles grew weaker, and his eyes turned towards her a final time, the golden gaze now filled with pain, before they closed and he slumped forward, unconscious.

Lucy had never hated herself more in that moment and wished Vidic had let her keep the gun.

One of the guards tapped her on the shoulder.

"Ms. Stillman?"

Lucy turned, and the man was pointing at the prone form of Kyle, who still watched her, his gaze now filled with rage. When he saw her watching him, he snarled, "I hope whatever they're paying you was worth it, you bitch!"

The guard started to pull his handgun, and Lucy stopped him. "Leave him. Let's go." The guard saluted and moved away, and Lucy looked back once more at Kyle's accusing gaze before the van door closed. When the door closed and she was sure she was alone, she let herself cry.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Desmond woke slowly, his eyes blinking up at a familiar ceiling. The cell at Abstergo in Rome. He supposed no one could accuse the Templars of originality. He heard shouting as he roused a little more, shaking off the last of the effects from the sedatives he'd been shot up with.

Following the noise, he stepped up onto the bathroom counter, bending his ear to the air vents as he had during his last stay in this cell.

Vidic was yelling something about the Apple, and Desmond strained to listen. His head began to throb with pain, but suddenly their voices were amplified as if they stood next to him.

"- what do you mean, only Desmond can use it?!"

Lucy's voice bore a helpless tone. "That was what I meant by the fact it wasn't working...the only one able to activate it was Desmond. I don't know how he does it...they said it has something to do with his DNA..."

Vidic stomped around the conference room, swearing in fluent Italian. Some of the epithets he used made Desmond's face burn hot...he'd never had any idea Vidic spoke Italian, though given the location of the building, it made sense.

Finally Vidic seemed to calm down. "If Desmond's the only one who can use it, then it's a good thing I didn't have him killed. He'll serve our purposes for more than just the Animus. Go see if he's awake."

Desmond heard Lucy agree quietly and leave the room, and he scrambled down from the bathroom counter, lying back down on the bed and pretending to sleep.

A few agonizingly slow minutes later, the door slid open to admit Lucy, once again dressed in her usual white blouse, black skirt and heels, her blonde hair up in a bun. He could feel her eyes trace over him before she said softly, "Des?"

Desmond uncurled a little, fixing his gaze on her. Her blue eyes were filled with pain and guilt, reddened from crying.

"_Do not wait too long to cherish what you have with her."_

Ezio's words from the bell-tower twisted like a knife in his heart, the pain taking his breath away. Desmond's own eyes filled with tears, and he closed his eyes against their escape. His voice broke as he said, "Go away."

He heard Lucy take a shuddering breath. "Des...I...I'm sorry..."

The echo of those words from his visions enraged him. He had known, and his suspicion ought to have been enough...if he hadn't been in love with her he would have...

Desmond groaned, a pain-filled, animal sound.

Lucy's hand touched his face gently, and he moved away as if her hand were fire. His eyes opened, and he snarled. "You're sorry?" he cried, and his grief evaporated in the heat of his rage. "You're sorry you betrayed the Assassins? You're sorry you betrayed _me_? I..."

Desmond's voice broke in anguish. "I loved you! Damn it, I knew, but I didn't want to believe it was true. Juno showed me, at the end, in the Temple, she fucking SHOWED ME EVERYTHING. I...I just didn't...want to believe..." His voice broke in a sob now, and Lucy's heart twisted in her chest as he began to cry, his chest heaving.

Lucy stared for an agonizing few moments, tears running down her own cheeks, and Desmond managed to growl, "Get out. Leave me alone, and tell Vidic he can go to Hell."

Lucy fled.

* * *

Vidic sat back from the monitor in the adjoining room. Thier exchange had certainly been interesting, and judging from Desmond's unusually emotional reaction to Lucy's betrayal, it was obvious their relationship had progressed...perhaps even to the physical level.

He tapped his chin thoughtfully with his favorite pen, making some notes before touching a switch. "Sir?" Vidic glanced at Desmond's crumpled form against the wall in his cell, the sounds of his sobs muffled in the sleeves of his hoodie.

"Send in some guards to retrieve Subject 17."

"At once, sir."

* * *

Desmond struggled as the guards hauled him to his feet. One of the guards grunted as his foot made contact with the side of his knee, but Desmond didn't have enough leverage to shatter the joint. One of the guards doubled a fist, punching Desmond in the stomach, knocking the wind from him.

Spots danced in front of Desmond's eyes as he gasped for breath.

The guard who'd hit him smiled cruelly, and the man's fist rattled Desmond's teeth as it caught him on the side of the head, almost causing him to black out. "That's for the guys you killed, you murdering bastard," the man whispered in his ear before he was dragged out of the cell.

Vidic was waiting for him impatiently beside the Animus. "Bring him over here." Instead of dragging him to the Animus, the guards dragged Desmond over to an area that had previously contained server equipment...now it contained a pedestal, and on the pedestal rested the Apple, glowing faintly.

Desmond glanced around the room, unconsciously looking for Lucy. Vidic noticed and smiled. "I'm afraid Ms. Stillman was very upset by your exchange earlier. I sent her home to recover...after all, she has earned the time off."

Desmond snarled. Vidic shook his head at the young Assassin. "Now, now, Mr. Miles. No need to be unpleasant about things. There is one thing I need your help with before we put you in the Animus."

Desmond spat, "I won't help you use the Apple, you bastard. You'll have to kill me first."

Vidic sighed. "Well Mr. Miles, that presents me with a problem. You see, you're too valuable to kill. According to everything Ms. Stillman brought back and that we were able to...erm...borrow from your compound suggests that you are the key to all of this."

Vidic nodded to the guards, and the doors opened to reveal guards dragging in the badly-beaten form of William Miles. His father's shirt was torn and bloodied, his face a mess of bruises.

William managed to blink one swollen eye at Desmond, and Desmond saw despair in his father's gaze for the first time he could ever remember.

Though he had often fantasized as a child about seeing his father beaten, the harsh reality of seeing him in such a state made shame curl in Desmond's gut, followed quickly by rage.

Vidic walked over to the beaten form of William, forcing his head up, examining him critically.

"Honestly William, I thought for all your bravado, a little pain would be bearable. But that really does look like it hurts."

Vidic looked at Desmond.

"I do have to give your father credit however, Mr. Miles. He's survived several beatings that would have killed most people. My interrogators report that he's weakening however, and not likely to last much longer. He is, after all, getting on in years."

Desmond snarled helplessly, his muscles strained against the grips of the guards. "If he dies Vidic I'll make it my life's goal to see that you die just as slowly!"

Vidic feigned surprise.

"Why Mr. Miles. I had no idea you cared, and judging from the look on William's face, he didn't either. From what Ms. Stillman told me, you two are a textbook case of a dysfunctional relationship...she even told me your own ancestor threatened to kill him."

Desmond set his jaw.

"Family is family...and Ezio can be hot-headed when he's irritated."

Vidic sighed. "While that is very true, and amazingly sentimental for you, Mr. Miles, I don't have time to play mind games. Activate the Apple now, or your father dies."

Desmond saw his father shake his head, wincing from pain. "No, Desmond. Let them kill me. Better than what they'll do with the Apple if you give them control of it."

Desmond shook his head. "It'll be okay, Dad."

William shook his head again, and Desmond looked at Vidic.

"I'll activate it...if you let my Dad go. I want proof he's safely away from here."

Vidic's eyes narrowed. "You're in no position to bargain, Mr. Miles. If you don't activate it, he dies."

Desmond shook his head. "You don't lose anything by letting him go. You have the Apple and me, the only one who can use it...other than one of the Ones Who Came Before, of course." Desmond steeled himself.

"If you let him go, I'll cooperate with you. I'll activate the Apple and help you in the Animus. No resistance, no escape attempts. You have my oath as an Assassin."

William's voice was horrified.

"Desmond, you can't!"

Vidic stared thoughtfully at Desmond, tapping his pen against his chin. The seconds stretched into minutes, and then Vidic said, "Very well. You have your bargain, Mr. Miles. Let him go."

William screamed as the guards dragged him towards the door.

"Desmond you can't! Desmond, please! Let them kill me! Desmond...!"

The elevator doors closed, muffling his father's cries, and Desmond bowed his head, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I need a cell phone, and I want to watch his release. Any tricks, and I'll kill myself."

Vidic gestured to the guards, and Desmond was handed a cell phone and released. He sent a quick text message, then sat down at Vidic's desk to watch the monitor.

The guards dragged his father out of the elevator and through the front lobby, much to the shock of the people working in the offices nearby. They pushed him roughly out the front doors.

William immediately tried to re-enter the building, but the front doors were locked, and Desmond could see tears running down his battered face.

A car pulled up beside him, and Desmond recognized Kyle as he pulled his father bodily into the car. He nodded, and the monitor flicked off.

Vidic turned to him expectantly. "We kept our part of the bargain, Mr. Miles. Now it's time you kept yours."

Desmond sighed heavily.

"A promise is a promise, Vidic...even to you."

He moved towards the Apple, and Vidic and the guards stood back as he walked up to the pedestal, picking up the Apple in his hand.

Its energy thrummed through him, pulsing in time with his heart, which was fast now.

Desmond closed his eyes, and the Apple flared.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The explosion had no sound. The light from the Apple was blinding, golden light that filled every corner of the lab and beyond. Desmond was wreathed in it, his eyes wide, his mouth open in a soundless scream.

After a few minutes, the room seemed to shudder, and everything went dark. The Apple dropped to the floor with a metallic tinkle, its golden glow and warmth utterly gone, and Desmond slumped against the wall, his golden eyes open and unseeing, still flickering with the light of the Apple.

Vidic and the guards picked themselves up from the floor, and Vidic noticed the Apple. It lay where it had landed, utterly darkened. He walked over to it, picking it up, but it was cold, the metal heavy in his hand. He looked at Desmond, whose body had relaxed against the wall now, his eyes sliding closed, muffling the glow that still pulsed within them.

Vidic practically ran over to the slumped form of the Assassin, checking his vitals. Furiously, he shook the semi-comatose young man.

"Damn you, Desmond...what did you do?!"

Desmond mumbled something in a language none of them could understand, and Vidic slapped him, enraged.

"Wake up, damn you! WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Desmond's eyes flickered open, and now his golden eyes glowed with the same soft glow of the Apple itself. "I...activated it..."

Vidic shook him.

"The Apple is dead! You killed it!"

Desmond smiled slowly.

"No. It was tuned to me. I didn't realize what that meant until recently. It's like a wireless hard drive...you can copy to it, read from it, transmit from it...or move data from it. I moved its data..."

Vidic stared at him in horror, and then his eyes narrowed. "If it's a portable hard drive, you can move it back."

Desmond laughed softly, the sound laced with pain. "I could, if you have a new battery for it. It needs a...power source."

Vidic's eyes widened as the full impact of Desmond's statement hit him.

"You. You were powering it...when you used it before..."

Desmond's eyes began to slide closed, and Vidic hit him again, but he was unconscious now, beyond pain. Vidic got up, resisting the urge to kick the young Assassin. "Put him back in his cell. I want him monitored around the clock, and the second he wakes up you call me, and I don't care what time it is."

* * *

Lucy had been home for three days, and in that three days she hadn't moved from her bed. The look on Desmond's face before he'd ordered her out, the sound of his sobs...she hadn't slept, because every time she closed her eyes she felt the pressure of his lips on hers, the feel of his body against her and the sound of his easy laughter...and those sensations melted together to the sound of his broken cries.

She woke screaming every time and eventually she'd just given up on sleep entirely. She stared now at the alarm clock which read 3:35 AM, idly contemplating for the hundredth time how sharp the knives in her kitchen were...if she could get the blade sharp enough, lethal cuts wouldn't hurt too much before she bled out, and she'd be free of the pain and guilt...

But even as she considered it, her heart ached. She couldn't go through with it. Despite the fact he now likely hated her and would kill her on sight, she missed Desmond. She missed his easy laugh, his ridiculous attempts at humor, the vulnerable look in his face when he'd told her about his childhood...the passion in his eyes when he'd...

No. She wouldn't relive that again. Yet even as she made that resolution, she imagined the feel of him again, the way he had trembled right before he'd come, the vibration of his ecstatic moan against her throat...

Lucy made an animal noise, rubbing her face furiously with her hands, and she bit the inside of her cheek again, grinding her teeth against the open sore till she tasted blood. Lucy wished she could cry, but she'd run out of tears after the first day. Her eyes burned like fire from lack of sleep and the salt of tears mixed with the remains of her makeup.

She was startled by the insistent ring of her cell phone. She ignored it, returning to her contemplations, and it beeped with a voice message. Lucy turned away from it, and it rang again. Again she ignored it, and it beeped with yet another voice mail.

To her surprise, it rang yet a third time, and she growled, picking it up. As she'd thought, most the calls were from Vidic, but the third number was unlisted. Curious, she hit the voice mail button. William's voice played from the message, and in her shock she didn't pay attention to what he said.

Why would William be calling her? Wasn't he in the custody of the Templars? Her heart hammered frantically in her chest as she touched the rewind button to listen to the voice mail again. William's voice was strained and ragged, as weak as she'd ever heard it.

"_I'm sure you realize that if I'm calling you, I have no place else to turn. Desmond sacrificed himself to force them to let me go. If you have any feelings for him left in your traitorous heart, at least go back long enough to tell me if he's still alive. Please...I...I just need to know." _

Trembling, Lucy dropped the phone as if had burned her.

What did William mean, Desmond had sacrificed himself? Was he dead? That thought twisted inside her. She picked up the phone again, listening to Vidic's voice mails in succession. It was obvious something had happened at the lab after the trade-off William mentioned.

Quickly, Lucy showered and dressed, pulling on jeans and forgoing her usual heels for boots. While not as practical as they might be, they were more practical for moving quickly than her thin heels.

She shrugged on a practical bra and T-shirt, pulling a button up shirt over it. Lucy was grateful for the early hour as she broke speed limits to get to the familiar building, waving her badge at the guard, who opened the gate without a second glance at her.

Lucy almost crashed her car parking it and sprinted for the elevator that led up to the labs. Thankfully, the elevator was empty, and she practically skidded into the lab, almost knocking Vidic over.

He glared at her.

"I thought you'd never get here. Are you over your little diva tantrum, Ms. Stillman?"

Lucy swallowed, and it took all of her willpower to compose herself.

"Yes. Sorry Warren...I came as soon as I heard there was some kind of explosion in the lab?"

Warren snorted angrily. "I will give Mr. Miles credit in that he's smarter than I would have guessed from his test scores."

Hope rose in Lucy's chest, and she asked carefully, "What happened? Did Desmond cause the explosion?"

Vidic frowned.

"He made the Apple useless to us in a fairly spectacular way. Afterward, he passed out. We're still waiting for him to wake up...and when he does, there will be some questions I'll want him to answer. Get in there and take over monitoring him. I'm going to go get a few hours sleep."

Lucy nodded, suddenly not feeling tired at all despite not having slept the past three days.

"Sure thing Warren." She offered Vidic her brightest smile, and he sighed, offering her a weary smile. "How you always manage to be so perky at work is beyond me, but it is appreciated, Lucy."

Lucy kept the bright smile in place until Vidic's elevator went out of sight, and then it dropped.

She made her way over to the cell door. Hesitating a scant moment, she typed in the code and it slid open obediently.

She stepped cautiously into the cell, and immediately saw Desmond laying on the bed. He was still dressed in the same hoodie and jeans he'd been wearing almost a week ago. He lay still, so still for a moment Lucy was convinced she was too late...and then she heard him take a breath, and then another.

The regular sound of his breathing sent a rush of relief through her. Her knees went weak, and she almost slumped down against the wall. He was alive, he was breathing. She would be happy the rest of her life to listen to him breathe, if he wouldn't ever allow her to be close to him again.

Pain closed her throat, and she closed her eyes in agony. What mattered was that he was alive. She might even be happy if he were the one to kill her and end her pain...at least it would be at the hands of someone she loved.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the feeling she was being watched, and she opened her eyes to find herself staring into a softly glowing golden light. Letting out a little shriek she pressed herself against the wall, before realizing it was Desmond who stared at her, his golden gaze now lit from within by some strange energy.

The glow in his eyes was dim, and Desmond did not blink as he stared at her. Lucy didn't move as he slid off the bed, his eyes never leaving her face. She closed her eyes, welcoming him as he lunged suddenly, his hands outstretched.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Lucy fully expected Desmond's hands to wrap around her throat and choke the life from her, but she was surprised instead as he pinned her against the wall with his body, his hands coming up to cup her face.

The feel of him against sent the familiar thrill through her, and she opened her eyes to find herself staring directly in Desmond's gleaming ones. He held her face, and his voice was soft as he said, "Show me the truth." Lucy was confused, not knowing what he meant, and he said, "Remember it. Remember all of it, so I can see. I need to know."

Lucy's eyes filled with tears, and though it was painful at first, she let the memories free...and as she did so, they began to flow faster. It was as if Desmond was watching them with her, his face flickering through myriad expressions, from disgust to anger to reflecting the suicidal grief that had almost taken her life since his capture.

It seemed to take forever, and Lucy was unsure of how much time had passed before Desmond closed his eyes, releasing her from his grip.

Lucy wanted to sob at the pain on his face. "Des...Des...if you want to kill me...I won't resist. You...you saw all that...you know I..."

Desmond's voice was very soft.

"No. I won't kill you, Lucy. I know you expect it, but now that I understand..."

He opened his eyes, and Lucy was once again captivated by that alien golden glow.

"I forgive you. I forgive you, and I love you, too."

Relief choked her, and she couldn't talk for the sob in her throat. Desmond kissed her tenderly, and she melted against him, her exhaustion catching up with her all at once.

She didn't feel him carry her to the bed or climb in beside her, but her sleep was undisturbed because her love lay beside her once again.

* * *

Lucy was rudely awoken by the sound of Vidic's shocked, "Ms. Stillman, really!"

Groggily, she opened her eyes. Warren stood at the side of the bed, staring at her. She roused a little more, noting that Desmond slept on beside her, one arm wrapped possessively around her. She blinked at Warren, then down at Desmond.

She was still fully clothed, as was Desmond, though they had kicked off the blankets at some point.

His breath was warm on her neck, and she sighed. She didn't have the energy to be embarrassed about the situation. She felt sapped, and so she lay back down beside Desmond, cuddling back into his arms.

"Well, as you can see, he's not awake yet," she deadpanned, and Vidic stared.

She yawned. Desmond was really quite warm, and she was still tired...

Her eyes drifted shut, and Vidic spoke again.

"Am I to understand you came into work last night just so you could...canoodle...with the subject?"

Lucy's eyes opened a crack. "There wasn't any canoodling. There was just sleeping. You said you wanted to be notified when Desmond woke up, and I figured the best way to know when he was awake was to be here when he did."

Vidic sighed impatiently. "I question the practicality of your thinking, Ms. Stillman. Spending the night in a subject's cell is highly inappropriate." He shook Desmond roughly. "Mr. Miles, get up."

Desmond roused, blinking first at Lucy, her clothing rumpled from sleeping in them, and then his gaze went to Vidic. On seeing the scientist, his gaze went hard. His arm pulled Lucy possessively closer, his gaze never leaving Vidic's face.

Vidic growled at Desmond. "You still have part of your promise to keep, Mr. Miles. Since you destroyed the Apple we were going to use...you're going to help us find another one."

Lucy stared at Desmond, who went still.

"Des...what is he talking about?"

Desmond sighed. "I made a deal to get my Dad out. Cooperating with the use of the Animus was part of it."

Lucy stared at him in horror, but Desmond's sharp glare silenced her objection.

Vidic tapped his foot impatiently. "Come on, Mr. Miles. Time is wasting. If you want to spend time in bed with Ms. Stillman later, I'm sure we can arrange for some...privacy."

Lucy felt herself blush. "That's low, Warren."

Vidic looked at her, and she saw disgust in his eyes. "Not as low as becoming an Assassin's whore, Ms. Stillman."

Guards entered the room and hauled Desmond out of it. As Lucy tried to follow them out, one of the guards pushed her back in, and the door slid closed.

She was locked in.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Desmond shuddered as he came out of another Animus session. They had forced him to relive Ezio's memories – this time as a man in his 50's – for days on end. Ezio sought the Library described in his father's letter. The Library of Altair, and Altair's Apple, the Apple Desmond has first seen after he/Altair had killed Al Mualim.

Vidic pushed him mercilessly, and even with his new-found abilities from the Apple, he felt his strength waning. Part of the strain came from syncing with so many memories from different time periods...Vidic jumped frantically through the years seeking clues, and the effort of maintaining his grip on reality exhausted him more than the strain of controlling Ezio.

He groaned as the Animus started up again, seeing black spots dance in his vision. Dimly, he heard the technician at the computer say, "He's crashing again, Doctor Vidic." Vidic's voice snapped angrily. "Give him another dose of stimulants. One more session and he can open the door to the library."

Desmond felt the familiar sting of the needle, but the rush of the stimulant was muted now, and his head lolled against the Animus, his eyes drooping closed. He saw the technician above him, pulling the UI away and shining a light into his eyes.

"I'm sorry Doctor Vidic. The subject has reached the end of his endurance. If we keep pushing him like this with no rest or nutrition, he'll die."

Vidic snarled. "I don't care if he dies! The only thing that matters is getting into that library! The satellite launch was delayed a month, and we're already two weeks into it!"

The technician frowned, and his expression became firm as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I understand the time line of the project sir, but maybe I wasn't clear enough. If we put the subject through one more session, he'll be dead before the end of it. He has to rest, or the secret of the library will die with him."

Vidic threw his hands up, cursing. After a few moments, he growled at the technician.

"How long does he need to recover?"

The technician looked down at Desmond, shaking his head. He had lost weight and his skin was pale and cool. His eyes were dilated, the golden glow from the Apple just barely visible. The light in his eyes pulsed to the erratic beat of his heart, and the technician silently took his vitals.

"A week at the very least, Doctor Vidic. A week of rest and nutrients, and he might survive the last session we need."

Vidic's face went very red. "A WEEK? That's unacceptable. Three days, no more!"

The technician shook his head again.

"Three days isn't enough, sir. He's barely alive right now...as a matter of fact, with his blood pressure and heart rate, I'm not entirely sure why he's alive at all. No normal person's heart can beat at that rate for so long without causing cardiac arrest." The technician looked down at the young Assassin, sadness reflecting in his eyes.

"I didn't sign up to this job to kill people, Doctor Vidic...and what you're doing to this man is a death sentence."

Vidic growled, taking the technician by the front of his lab coat. "He's an Assassin. A trained killer. Does it soothe your conscience any to know the man's a murderer? He and his kind have killed hundreds of thousands! Any other century and he'd have been hung long ago for his crimes! At least dying this way he provides some use to the world!"

Vidic released the technician with a snarl. "Put him back in his cell, and bring Ms. Stillman to me in the conference room."

Lucy scrambled to her feet as she heard the door open, and thankfully the nausea that had plagued her the past few days didn't put in an appearance at the sudden movement. What a time to get a stomach bug, she growled mentally. She wondered if Desmond had had it, and that made her worry more. He needed every calorie he could get, and catching something from her would weaken him further.

It had been weeks since the incident with the Apple, and as they'd passed, Desmond grew weaker and weaker, eventually having to be carried out to the Animus and back in. Lucy's breath caught in her throat as they dragged in Desmond.

They might have been dragging a corpse. Desmond was utterly lifeless. Lucy moved out of the way as they dumped Desmond on the bed on his back, and as they did so Lucy saw that his eyes were open, blank and unseeing. The golden glow was almost totally dimmed now, and Desmond's breathing was fast and shallow.

"Oh God...Desmond..."

Lucy pushed past the guards, taking Desmond's pulse. His heartbeat was thready and erratic – too erratic. Lucy almost sobbed. "For God's sake, get a defibrillator in here! He's dying!" The guard stepped out, returning with the familiar bright green defibrillator Lucy knew they kept near the Animus.

When they had first started using it, heart attacks were common among subjects until they adjusted the additional strain of controlling their ancestors. Lucy recalled with a pang of pain that Desmond's physical fitness had served him very well when he'd first been hooked up to the Animus – had it only been a few months ago?

Lucy pushed up Desmond's shirt, prepping him for the shock. She counted to three, and held her breath as she sent the first charge through Desmond, shocked to see intricate white patterns light up beneath his skin in response to the surge, fading when it passed. She took his pulse again, his heartbeat had stabilized somewhat, but his heartbeat was still too fast for the state he was in unless...

Lucy whirled on the technician who had entered the cell.

"What did you give him?" she snarled. The technician stepped back. He stammered. "A-Adrenaline. He kept crashing in the Animus..."

Lucy spat a curse. "You idiot! Do you want him to have a heart attack? The Animus elevates heart rate! Anything his ancestor experiences – pain, sex, running a marathon – it affects his heart rate too! Get me some Landiolol. We've got to stabilize his heart rate and counteract your stupidity!"

To his credit, the technician wasted no time in returning with an ampoule of the drug and a hypodermic needle.

Lucy measured it carefully, injecting Desmond as gently as she could.

After a few minutes, she took his pulse again, relieved to see it drop to a more normal pattern, slowing to closer his normal rate. Desmond seemed to be breathing easier, and she sighed, her hands shaking as she handed back the needle and bottle.

As soon as Desmond was stable, one of the guards grabbed her arm. She resisted. "What are you doing?" she demanded. The guard hauled her to her feet. "Vidic wants to see you in the conference room."

Lucy looked back at Desmond's still form longingly, and the technician said quietly, "I'll stay here with him."

Lucy felt tears build in her eyes, and she wiped them away angrily. If they didn't find a way out of here soon, Desmond would die.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Lucy wrenched herself free of the guard's grip, advancing on Vidic, her blue eyes ablaze with rage. "You bastard!" she shrieked, and Vidic glared disapprovingly at her.

"Now Ms. Stillman, that's no way to behave. I'd have thought you'd be happy to be with your..." his face twisted in disgust. "Assassin lover." Lucy spat at him. "Desmond is a better man than you will ever be!"

Vidic shook his head. "Love does make one do strange things. I called you in here to ask you some questions. If you don't feel inclined to be cooperative, I can arrange for another holding area for you, since being around Mr. Miles seems to make you upset."

Lucy froze. If Vidic followed through on his threat, it was very likely she'd never see Desmond again.

She swallowed hard, and lowered her gaze. Vidic smiled encouragingly at her. "That's better. Now, sit down."

Lucy sat, keeping her eyes trained on Vidic.

"What do you want to know?"

Vidic pulled out a form.

"Were you and Mr. Miles ever intimate?"

Lucy blushed hotly. "That is none of your business!" she snapped. Vidic frowned. "I'll take that as a yes. How long ago?"

Lucy went silent, and Vidic glared at her, reaching for his cell phone. Finally she blurted, "A couple weeks ago...maybe a month, I don't know. Why does that matter?"

Vidic wrote that down. "Have you been experiencing any unusual symptoms...nausea or fatigue?"

Lucy snarled. "I've been imprisoned by my own employer and forced to watch you torture Desmond almost to death for the past two weeks! I'd say that's good reason to have an upset stomach and trouble sleeping!"

Vidic sighed. "I was hoping to not have to take the direct route, but it seems you're not giving me much choice, Ms. Stillman."

The guards grabbed her, twisting her arms behind her back, and Vidic calmly took a blood sample. He handed it to a guard. "Take this to the lab and have them run it."

Lucy was released from their grip and sat down again, her arms crossed. "I don't see what any of these ridiculous questions have to do with anything. Take me back to Desmond!"

Vidic motioned for the guards. "Take her back to the cell for now. It'll take time for that sample to come back anyway."

Lucy ran to Desmond as she was led back into the cell. Desmond's color was better, and she saw that the sleeves of his hoodie had been pushed up, two IV's running into his forearms. The technician stopped her as she moved to pull them out.

"Relax Ms. Stillman...it's just saline and nutrient solution." The technician sighed. "Despite what you might think, I don't approve of killing subjects. I'm not that familiar with this Animus, and I usually work with subjects who are pursuing the entertainment simulations. Those are the usual porn and fishing trips...nothing like what I've seen in here."

The man shuddered a little. "I watched your friend here – or someone who looked just like him – take an arrow to the shoulder with barely a flinch – dismember two men and knock out a guard wearing an iron helmet...before cutting down three more attackers. He got distracted by some kind of apparition, and got captured...and then right as they were about to hang him..."

The technician shook his head wonderingly. "He stepped off the ledge, caught and pulled himself back up with his hands still tied together and attacked the man who had tried to have him killed!"

Lucy nodded, still focused on Desmond. "Did he have a beard? Wear black robes?"

The technician nodded eagerly. "You know who he is? He...he looked just like your friend, but older...it was really uncanny..."

Desmond's voice spoke softly from the bed.

"Ezio." Lucy and the technician both stared down at Desmond, whose golden eyes were open the barest amount. "His name is Ezio Auditore da Firenze. He is my ancestor, and he's got a nasty temper - as you saw."

The technician looked down at Desmond, his eyes still full of wonder.

"Can you...can you Assassins really do those things? W-With the knives...and stuff?"

Desmond nodded. "We train from childhood."

The technician looked as if he were going to ask another question when the door opened to admit Vidic, who was staring at a piece of paper with a pleased expression on his face.

He looked at Lucy, then down at Desmond. "Ah, good. You're awake, Mr. Miles, so you can hear the news firsthand."

Lucy tensed, her hand tightening around Desmond's.

"What are you talking about?" she snarled, and Vidic grinned at her, waggling a finger at her

"Now Ms. Stillman, stress is bad for the fetus. You should really try to relax more." Lucy stared at him, her mouth open. Vidic smirked cruelly, looking down at Desmond.

"Congratulations, Mr. Miles. You're going to be a father...providing I don't have you killed after this is over."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Shaun muttered for what was probably the hundredth time as he dodged traffic.

William gave the historian a look that quelled any more complaints. Rebecca typed furiously on her laptop, murmuring, "If it doesn't, Desmond is as good as dead. Abstergo will only keep him alive as long as he's useful to them."

Kyle growled from his corner of the van, his eyes on the setting sun. He was dressed in dark tactical armor, armed with several knives, silenced handguns and an assault rifle. His hood was pulled low, shadowing his face.

"No offense Becca, but that's not helping. We need to concentrate on getting him out, not what they might be doing to him." There were nods of agreement from Michael and John, who sat opposite Kyle, dressed in similar gear.

It should not have surprised William when he'd been released that the three men would immediately volunteer to rescue Desmond. What had surprised him was that Kyle had already had a plan to get Desmond out – and that the plan had come from Desmond.

When he'd been transported back to the safe-house Rebecca and the others had fled to during the attack, he'd been told matter-of-factly by Kyle that Desmond had warned him ahead of time of an attack from Abstergo and put plans in place to evacuate the base, making sure that Baby stayed loaded in the van and that Shaun and Rebecca were given chores that involved the garage and storage areas to keep them close to it.

It also explained how they'd been able to pick up William from Abstergo so quickly...they'd been waiting for Desmond's signal – which he'd apparently sent somehow after William had been dragged out of the room.

William had sat back after Kyle's explanation, completely thunderstruck. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea that Desmond – Desmond the coward, who had run away from the Assassins to waste his life drinking in a bar and live in an apartment one step from being condemned – had been able to put in place a plan to protect the Assassins in Florence.

Kyle had shaken his head in disgust at William's shock, saying quietly that William wouldn't have been surprised had he actually gotten to know his son.

William's first response to Kyle's calm assessment of their relationship had been anger, but it had faded as Kyle began to tell him about Desmond – not Desmond, the angry, rebellious teenager or Desmond, the frightened child – but Desmond the man, grown and world-weary and doing the best he could with the situation he'd been placed in.

"_Family is family..."_

Desmond's admonition to Vidic before he'd made the deal that might have already killed him echoed in his head, filling the older man with guilt. Desmond hadn't been thinking of himself in that moment. He hadn't been thinking of anything but protecting those he loved.

Kyle had gone silent when he saw tears building in the Mentor's eyes. William had bowed his head, letting the tears flow as the other man had handed him a cell phone and instructed him to call Lucy.

* * *

William was knocked out of his reverie by a nudge from Kyle, who eyed him now sternly. "Sorry Mentor, but this is a bad time to be reminiscing. We're almost there."

William shook himself. Kyle was right. What mattered now was getting Desmond out of there, not chewing over past regrets. "All right. Let's get the ball rolling. Rebecca, when we're in range, send the scrambler."

The minutes passed seemingly agonizingly slow before Rebecca said, "I've got bars. Shaun, stop the van." Shaun pulled off to the side of the road as the last light faded from the sky, and Kyle and the others stood up.

William looked at the men, making their last preparations before heading in. His face tightened. "I don't have to give you a pep talk...you all know what's at stake if we fail. Don't."

Kyle nodded. "We'll bring him home, sir."

As soon as the door closed behind them, Rebecca hit the button, and the laptop began to pulse a slow tone. "The scrambler is active. Once they get the amplifiers in place, those Templar goons will be blind as bats. Let's hope they can get it done before Abstergo catches on to what's up."

William watched out the window as Kyle and the others disappeared down the street. "All we can do now is wait."

Rebecca nodded, setting the laptop aside carefully. She pulled out a set of cards. "Go Fish, anyone?"

* * *

Kyle and the others moved silently along the rooftops, making their way to adjoining buildings near the Abstergo HQ. Kyle moved to his position, pulling a tripod from a harness on his back and setting it up. He turned the sensor towards the building and entered a code. The transmitter beeped and a green light came to life, blinking with a steady pulse.

Kyle watched it for a moment before he muffled the light with a piece of electrical tape. As he did so, Michael's voice came over his headset.

"Amp 2 is active, sir."

A beat later, John's hushed voice came over.

"Amp 3 active, sir. We should be good to go."

Kyle nodded. He'd served in the same unit with Mike and John, and they were both thoroughly professional soldiers, though he remembered assigning them a few nights scrubbing the head due to their propensity for pulling pranks.

He grinned tightly, making his way down the side of the building.

After the first two times, they'd both been a lot more careful about getting caught. Their new-found caution had served them well when the Assassins had come calling some years later, seeking to bolster their military-trained personnel pool.

Kyle met up with the others as Rebecca's voice came over their headsets.

"The signal boost is working. I'm feeding the bogus info into their computers, but it's all going to depend on how observant the guards are in terms of how much time you have."

Kyle chuckled. "I brought a few things that'll help with that once we're in."

Rebecca's voice came over the headset again, sounding amused. "I don't want to know...I'll just wait for the fires to start. Once you're in, it's radio silence...good luck."

Kyle nodded to the others, and they all switched off their radios. "Let's get moving."

* * *

Desmond couldn't sleep, despite having Lucy curled up beside him. She'd fallen asleep some hours before, and he lay quietly, not wanting to disturb her, staring up at the dimmed lights in the ceiling. He wasn't sure what day it was – Vidic forcing him to use the Animus for so many days in a row sometimes made him wonder what year it was – but he was fairly sure that if a rescue attempt had been made, Vidic would have at least gloated about the failure if there had been one.

He closed his eyes, remembering how gleeful Vidic had been as he'd played the sounds of the Assassins being killed over the radio the first time Desmond had been a prisoner here. He knew they were out of time. In a few short hours, Vidic would force him back into the Animus and he'd be forced to open the door to Altair's library.

Vidic had taken to threatening Lucy when Desmond irritated him, and the thought of Vidic harming her or their child had been enough to make Desmond comply with any demand made of him. He'd drawn maps and given them information from the vast store that had resided within the Apple and even summoned Ezio, who had been quite angry about it until he'd noticed that Vidic had a gun pointed at Lucy's abdomen and the panicked desperation in Desmond's eyes.

Vidic had questioned the Master Assassin in his native tongue, and Ezio had thoroughly impressed Desmond with his ability to think on his feet, acting as if he were merely a recording Ezio had made into the Apple versus an imprint of the man's personality.

Ezio had not told them anything they didn't know from having forced Desmond into the Animus, and when Vidic had demanded to know what was inside the library, Ezio had told him that his knowledge ended at the library door and they would need Altair's Apple to have the complete story, which was the truth.

Ezio's statement had enraged Vidic, and he'd raised a fist to hit Lucy. Desmond had cried out, struggling against the grip of the guards who held him, and to Vidic's utter shock, Ezio had caught his fist, following up on Vidic's stunned shock by knocking him out with a vicious uppercut.

The Master Assassin had then looked at Desmond, his dark eyes filled with rage and worry as he began to flicker and fade. His gaze had softened as his gaze lit upon Lucy's tear-streaked, terrified face. "Be brave, little sister, for your sake and the child's."

Thankfully the next person to show up after Ezio disappeared was the kind technician, who'd taken one look at Vidic's prone form on the floor before ordering the guards to take them back to the cell.

Desmond had translated all that transpired once they were alone once more, and Lucy had fallen asleep as he'd finished the story.

There was a noise at the door, and it slid open. Desmond sat up as the technician, his blue eyes filled with nervousness, entered. "Uh...Mr...Mr. Miles...you...you and Ms. Stillman should come with me...please."

Desmond shook Lucy gently, and her eyes opened, immediately panicked. Desmond shushed her silently, helping her out of the bed.

They padded out of the cell behind the technician, who led them out into the lab and towards the doors. Nervously, the young man entered the code to the door, and it slid open, revealing three figures in dark armor and hoods. Desmond recognized Kyle, Michael and John. Kyle grinned at him, though his blue eyes were hard as they assessed Desmond's physical state.

"God damn, sir. You look like Hell..." He paused, and his gaze lit on the terrified, pale form of Lucy, who clung to Desmond like a life preserver.

"What the fuck is _she_ doing here?" Kyle demanded even as they made their way down the hallway, the nervous tech in the lead. Desmond shook his head. "I'll explain later Kyle, but in the meantime protect her as if she were me."

Kyle nodded, though his expression was still a little dubious as they moved for the elevator. "Becca's signal will only last a few more minutes, so it might get hairy getting out of here. I set some surprises on the exits, so we'll have to go out the way we came in."

Kyle pulled a vest out of his backpack, handing it to Desmond, who immediately draped it over Lucy. Kyle's brow raised, but he didn't ask the question that was burning in his mind.

As they left the elevator, the tech stammered, "T-Take me with you. P-Please. If they find out I helped you they'll kill me...I won't tell anyone...I swear!"

Kyle frowned, looking at Desmond. "Technically, he's a Templar and an enemy, so I can kill him without breaking the Creed...but he DID help us get in here so I'm a little divided...what do you think, sir?"

Desmond looked into the frightened young man's blue eyes. "What's your name?" The young man stammered. "L-Lucas. Lucas Morrison. I...I'm just an Animus tech. I don't...subscribe to any of this...ancient war stuff. I didn't even know any of it existed until...until I met you."

Kyle's eyes narrowed as his headset beeped.

"We've got to get moving sir. We need a decision now."

Desmond nodded, and to their shock, he reached out and touched Lucas' head. His eyes flared golden for a moment, and Lucas gasped. "Holy...holy shit."

Desmond removed his hand, the glow fading.

"He's telling the truth. He won't betray us. Let's go."

They moved down into the lobby, and Kyle looked around before he set a round disc against the front doors. A light flashed, and the doors slid open obediently.

Desmond stared at him as they ran down the street.

"You came in through the _front doors_?!" he demanded incredulously.

Kyle grinned.

"You never specified how we were to get into the building, and all the usual routes seemed boring...I thought I'd change it up a bit and go in through the front doors for once."

Desmond couldn't do anything but laugh helplessly, and their laughter echoed down the empty street as they left the Abstergo building behind.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

As the van sped away down the darkened streets, it took all of Lucy's willpower not to vomit on the floor of the van where Lucas huddled. Once they were a few blocks from the building, Kyle pulled out a remote with a grin, handing it to Desmond.

"Sorry it took us so long to get up there sir, but it took a little longer than I hoped to get all the...surprises set. Would you like to do the honors?"

Desmond took the remote, examining it for a moment. "What's it do?"

Kyle's grin almost split his face.

"Press it and see."

Desmond frowned, flipping the switch up and pressing the button.

After a moment, the ground rumbled, and a fiery orange glow lit up the night sky behind them. After a few moments of what Desmond was sure was the city of Rome's stunned silence, sirens began to wail.

Kyle and the others laughed uproariously, giving each other high-fives, but William turned from the passenger seat, staring incredulously at the laughing Assassins.

"Are you three insane?! Blowing up the Templar headquarters doesn't exactly help us stay undercover!"

Kyle looked straight at William and said, "No, but it was sure a lot of fun."

William stared at him, and then his gaze flickered over to Desmond, who was now grinning broadly. Even Lucy managed a smile, though her teeth were clenched tightly behind it.

"Can't you control them?" William demanded of his son, who merely shook his head, still grinning. "I'm not one to dump on a good prank, and I'm sure Vidic will be very surprised when he comes to."

William stared at Desmond.

"What do you mean, come to? Did you hit him?"

Desmond shook his head, his hand absently rubbing Lucy's back.

"No...he made me summon Ezio, and Ezio was very pissed off about the fact he'd threatened our family."

William's brow rose. "'Our family?'"

Desmond nodded, pulling Lucy close to him. She sighed and leaned on him, closing her eyes wearily.

"Lucy's pregnant. You're gonna be a grandpa."

* * *

It took until they'd reached the temporary hideout, Desmond had explained what had happened at Abstergo and they had all showered and changed before William started to get over his shock.

They had stopped on a random street to drop off the young Templar who'd helped them escape, and though Kyle had his reservations about the young man, Desmond had assured them he wouldn't betray them. William privately suspected he'd used the power of the Apple – his power – to ensure the other man wouldn't talk.

As Shaun plied Lucy with tea and Rebecca with a granola bar, he'd stared at Desmond, his head bent over a map of Masayf, talking quietly with Kyle and the others. The sun was coming up outside, sending rays of sunlight peeking through the heavy curtains, drawn over the windows of their non-descript hotel room.

"Desmond!"

Desmond looked up from the map, his eyes gleaming golden with the power of the Apple. The first time William had noticed the glow in his son's eyes, he'd thought he was seeing things, but in the shadows cast by the curtains the glow seemed very bright.

William found himself unexpectedly intimidated by his son, and said more mildly, "Desmond...do you have a minute to talk?"

Desmond got up from his chair, nodding at Kyle and making his way over to his father. William's bruising had mostly healed, and now his gray eyes looked weary. William looked around at the other Assassins, doing their very best to try and not look as if they were straining to hear what they were talking about.

William sighed.

"Let's...let's go for a walk, Desmond. If...if you feel up to it."

Desmond nodded, stopping by the couch where Lucy sat long enough to plant a tender kiss on her lips before he shrugged on his hoodie.

William led the way out the hotel. Desmond still looked too-pale, as if he'd been ill for a long time, but his eyes were clear, his stride easy.

"I noticed that despite...despite your time in the Animus, the Bleeding Effect doesn't seem to be affecting you as much..." William began, and Desmond nodded.

"I suppose the Bleeding Effect doesn't affect me as much when I've got all the knowledge from the Apple swimming around in my head." He shook his head for a minute, looking pained. "The effect is still there, but it's easier to...keep it all separate."

William went silent a moment, and then he said, "Desmond...a...about Lucy...and...the baby."

Desmond went still, and William sighed.

"I ought to have known something like this would happen when you and Lucy...well. What are your plans? If we fail, there may not be a world for your child to grow up in..."

Desmond's eyes reflected the sunlight that streamed between the buildings, and his voice was very quiet as he responded, "I know. All I can do right now is try to protect them...and whatever happens, at least we'll be together."

William cleared his throat. "So...do you want to tell your mother...?"

Desmond sighed. "I suppose I should. Has she met Lucy?" William nodded. "Your mother has always liked Lucy, so I don't think there will be too much objection there...but...well it is rather sudden, son."

Desmond steeled himself. "Sudden or not, it is what it is. I'll call her later. We should probably think about food for everyone."

William nodded, and they walked on in silence.

* * *

Warren Vidic had never been angrier in his entire life than the moment he'd come to in his office to the sound of fire alarms in the building wailing and the cell that had previously contained his prize subjects empty.

He'd managed to use his cell phone to call the security department and have them send a team – the lab was in lockdown due to the fire safety protocols, and so he could do nothing but wait until the power was restored or the team opened the doors manually.

As he paced around the lab, he noticed the Apple, still sitting on his desk. In a fit of rage he picked it up, hurling it at the windows, but he didn't have enough strength to throw it hard enough, and it bounced from the window, landing with a metallic thunk on the floor.

They had been so close! He knew he shouldn't have let that soft-hearted tech talk him into letting Desmond rest. Still, they had gotten some useful information from the Assassin, and he wouldn't stop until there was an Apple in their satellite.

All they had to do was get to Masayf. The secret lay there, he knew, hidden centuries ago by Desmond's meddlesome ancestors.

He looked up from his musings at a sound from the doors. He smiled as a familiar form was outlined by the red emergency lights. The man placed a disc against the doors, and Vidic ducked behind his desk as the glass shattered, flying into the lab.

"Your security team sucks, Warren. I got up here while they were still fucking around with the elevators."

Warren stood up, scowling at Cross. "Well, you're also late. I called your almost an hour ago!" Daniel scowled. "I had to stop by the little boys' room, geez." He looked around at the mess in the lab. "I take it you lost Miles again? Looks like he bothered to do damage on his way this time. Maybe he's finally growing a pair...it'll be nice to catch up to him when he's not a total pussy."

Vidic snarled.

"Don't be too cocky, Daniel. He's a lot more powerful this time around. I'm still not sure how he managed to absorb the Apple's power, but he now has all the abilities it did...including the ability to control the minds of those around him. That's probably how he escaped – we got some still images of him doing something to that idiot Morrison."

Cross snorted, toying with his gun. "I can handle him. Where is he going?" Vidic growled. "He'll be headed to Masayf, in Syria. Kill him if you can, but do not injure Ms. Stillman. She's carrying something very valuable to our cause. Bring her back here."

Cross stopped toying with his gun, his blue eyes belying curiosity.

"What's she carrying that's so important you don't want me to kill a traitor?"

Vidic smiled cruelly. "Desmond's descendant."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

When Desmond and William walked back in the door carrying styrofoam boxes of food, the first thing that Desmond noticed was that Lucy was not on the couch, and Rebecca was standing outside the bathroom door with sympathy written on her face.

Desmond set down his stack of boxes and made a beeline for the bathroom. Rebecca smoothly stepped in his way. "Is Lucy okay?" Rebecca nodded, even as the sound of retching came from behind the door. Desmond looked at Rebecca, one brow raised. "That doesn't sound okay, Becca."

Rebecca sighed. "It's morning sickness Des. It'll go on for a few weeks, and then it'll start to taper off, but she's going to be miserable till it's over – and sensitive to smells."

Desmond turned at his father's hand on his shoulder. "I know you're worried son, but it really is a normal thing. Your mother was a wreck for the first three months when she was pregnant with you."

Desmond allowed himself to be guided to the spot that Lucy had previously occupied, and Shaun handed him a box.

"Eat. You look like a Holocaust survivor." Desmond shot the historian a dark look as he opened the box.

"I need to get into the Animus as soon as we can arrange it. I still need to finish the last memory...we managed to escape before they made me relive the last one, but that's the one that should show us what Ezio found in the library."

Shaun looked at him closely. "Desmond, you're paler than my grandmother's knickers. Are you sure going back into the Animus is a good idea?"

Desmond finished chewing his food and shook his head.

"Not really, but it's the only way to beat the Templars to the library. They saw everything I did, everything except what Ezio actually found. That's the only advantage we have over them right now."

Desmond looked up as the door to the bathroom opened and Lucy emerged, looking pale. Rebecca handed her a bottle of water. "Sip this, Luce...it'll help settle your stomach."

Lucy nodded, taking the water bottle wordlessly. Desmond got up from the couch and offered the seat to her. Lucy shook her head. "Thanks Des, but I think I'm gonna go lie down." Desmond guided her over to one of the beds, pulling back the covers. Lucy was asleep before her head hit the pillow, and Desmond silently tucked the blankets around her.

When Desmond turned away from the bed, the others were watching him.

"Becca how long will it take you to get Baby ready?"

Rebecca smiled. "Not long at all Des. Maybe 20 minutes."

Desmond nodded. He looked at William. "Dad, can I borrow your phone?"

William handed over his cell phone, and Desmond left the room.

Kyle looked after him, a question in his blue eyes. William cracked a small smile. "I told Desmond he'd have to be the one to tell his mother." Kyle winced. "Ouch."

William sighed. "Well, let's get the gear packed up. We'll be leaving as soon as Desmond replays the last memory."

* * *

Desmond scrolled through his father's contacts, and under the highlight was "Rachel Miles." Desmond pressed the call button after a moment of hesitation.

The phone rang twice, and then his mother answered.

"Bill?"

Desmond's voice stuck in his throat before he said, "No...Mom, it's Desmond."

There was a moment of stunned silence and then Rachel replied, "Desmond? I...is it really you?"

Desmond almost laughed.

"Yeah, Mom. Look I know Dad called you, but I wasn't sure what he told you..."

Rachel sighed. "He said you were with him and that you were fine...I saw on the news the Abstergo building in Rome had exploded...some kind of gas leak?"

Desmond did chuckle this time.

"Yeah...that's the cover story. Kyle and the guys got a little...uh...enthusiastic about our exit."

Rachel was quiet, and then said, "Did they hurt you honey?"

Desmond sighed. "Not...not much. I'm fine Mom, really."

Desmond heard what sounded like a muffled sob over the phone and his expression tightened.

"Look Mom...I don't have a lot of time, and there's something...something I need to tell you."

Rachel's voice was low from crying as she responded.

"What is it Des? It sounds important..."

Desmond took a deep breath. "You're...uh. You're going to be a Grandma."

The silence this time was so long that Desmond checked to make sure the call was still connected.

Then Rachel's voice came over the phone again, and her tone was cautious. "A grandma? … Who...is the mother?" Desmond's throat went dry as he replied, "Lucy. We...well...I mean she's...uh. God, this is hard."

"Lucy...Lucy Stillman?"

Desmond swallowed. "Yeah."

There was a noise so loud that Desmond had to pull the phone away from his ear, and when he cautiously put it back to his ear, his mother was laughing. Desmond wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or relieved.

"Uh...Mom?"

Rachel managed to calm herself down and said, "I told your father she was a good match for you. I didn't think you two would ever have a chance, what with her working undercover with the Templars so long, but...I'm so happy for you, Des!" There was a pause, and then she said, "You are planning on getting married before the baby comes, aren't you?"

Desmond was unable to formulate an answer for a solid minute. He hadn't really thought about getting married. The relationship with Lucy was still fairly new, and her pregnancy complicated things.

Still...he mused, marriage had made Ezio and Altair both very happy...

He wasn't sure if he was ready for it, or not.

"Desmond? Sweetie are you still there?"

Desmond shook himself, and thankfully Rebecca's voice intruded on the conversation. "Sorry to interrupt Des, but Baby's ready for you."

Desmond nodded.

"Mom, I gotta go. I'll...call again soon."

He didn't hear her reply as he closed the phone. He walked back into the room, handing it back to his father. "She was actually pretty happy about it."

Desmond strode out of the room before his father could ask more questions, walking across the open hallway into an adjoining room where Rebecca waited with the familiar chair.

He seated himself into the Animus. "Let's go."

Beside him, Rebecca nodded. "Booting up now, Des."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"_You'd better come out of there alive." _

The images swam in his vision before her face became clear. "I plan to." His voice echoed hollowly after hers in the cavernous space, and Sophia smiled, her green eyes radiant in the gloom. The door he'd spent so many days searching for keys to open yawned open behind him, and he tried his best not to breathe too deeply of the stale air as he strode inside, his steps more confident than he felt.

He followed the narrow, winding stone corridor, lighting the long-unused torches as he went, and at the end of it there was a room half again as large as the one without, the shelves empty, their wood dried and rotting.

"No books...no wisdom..."

His eyes fell upon a seated figure in the center of the path. It was a man long-dead, his once-white robes coated evenly with the dust that coated the whole of the room he stood in. This was no library...it was a tomb, and as he drew close to the remains, he realized whose they were.

"Just you, fratello mio."

He knelt beside the corpse, crossing himself.

"Requiescat in pace, Altair."

In Altair's hand was a glowing disc – the last key...his last memories, and the secret of the library. He picked it up, and the memories began.

_Altair, now a very old man – yet still imposing – stood just outside the entrance of the library. A young man wearing the robes of an Assassin with blonde hair approached. His features were Altair's, but his coloring was that of a European. Altair's son with Maria, the Templar._

"_You have seen to my books?"_

_The young man nodded. "Some went with the Polos, the rest will go with me to Alexandria." His voice was smooth, belying a hint of exotic accent._

"_Good...very good."_

_The young man looked confused. "Father...I do not understand. Why did you build a library if you did not intend to keep your books?"_

_Altair smoothly sidestepped the question, as was his wont when not wanting to speak of an issue. "You should go. When the Mongols return, Masyaf must be empty."_

"_I see. This is not a library at all. It is a vault."_

_Now there was urgency in Altair's voice. "It must stay hidden, Darim. Far from eager hands. At least until it has passed on the secret it contains."_

"_What secret?" demanded Darim, taking a step forward, but he stopped as Altair raised his hand warningly. "Go, son. Go be with your family, and live well."_

_Darim sighed, and he knew suddenly this was likely the last time he'd see his father. His next step forward was into an embrace. _

"_All that is good in me began with you, father."_

_Altair stepped back as the door slid shut for the final time. He turned and headed back down the corridor, and as he walked slowly down the hallway, he recalled with a pang the last conversation he'd had with Maria before coming here._

"_In much wisdom, is much grief. And he that increasth knowledge, increaseth sorrow."_

_He put out the first torch. He would not need light, soon._

_Maria's voice echoed in his memory now, demanding._

"_What does it tell you? What do you see?"_

_He shuffled past a second torch, darkening it._

"_Strange visions and messages. Of ones who came before, of their rise, and their fall..."_

_The third torch went dark, and Maria's voice echoed again, insisting._

"_But what happens to us, Altair? To our family! What does the Apple say?"_

_He had not answered Maria. He did not know how to express in words what he had seen, strange machines and devices, people dressed in strange clothing and wielding strange weapons...a face like his own, almost a mirror image, down to the scar across his mouth...but this young man was not himself. He had shaken his head, unable to speak further, and Maria had shouted at him._

_Who were the ones who came before? What brought them here? How long ago? The thoughts plagued him every night._

"_Get rid of that thing!"_

_He had responded, more sharply than he meant to. "This is my duty, Maria!"_

_His beloved had gone silent, tears standing in her blue eyes, and he had given his final orders._

"_If you are asked, say I sent the Apple away. Tell them I sent it to Cyprus, or Cipango, or that I dropped it into the sea. Tell them anything to keep men away from this place. This Apple must not be found, not until the time is right."_

_He had seen the anguish mixed with the anger in her gaze, and he knew that no matter how angry she might be with him, she would follow his orders to the letter and keep his family safe. He had kissed her tenderly, for the last time._

_As the door closed, muffling the Apple's glow, he made his way to a nearby chair. He could feel his strength fading, now that his work was done, his body demanded rest. His hands felt along the chair, his eyes now blind in the dark. He seated himself in it, feeling a great weariness settle on him like a shroud. _

_There was one thing that yet remained...the last message. He pulled from his robes the final key, cradling it in one hand as he sent his memories into it. As the last of his memories faded, so too did the breath in his lungs. All went quiet and still._

Ezio came back to himself where he had knelt, and Altair's body remained where it had been, though it was jarring to realize that moments before he had been Altair...he had been old and so tired...

The younger Assassin shook it off, frowning. It wasn't every man who had experienced what it was to feel the life leave your body and still be alive to speak of it. He rose to his feet, placing the final key in his belt pack, and as he rose, the hidden door that hid the Apple rose of its own accord, as if waiting for him.

The warm golden glow of the Apple greeted him, almost beckoning him to pick it up. He stretched his hand towards it.

"Another artifact?"

Shaking himself, Ezio moved his hand back from the alluring glow.

"No. You will stay here." He stepped back fully, now out of glow's strange thrall.

"I have seen enough for one life."

He shook his head, almost turning to leave, when the Apple flared, filling the room with light. He remembered seeing the same behavior before, and called out, "Desmond?"

Desmond was silent, listening. So this was how Ezio had learned to communicate with him, and how Ezio had known who he was when he had first manifested from the Apple.

Ezio continued speaking.

"I heard your name once before, Desmond, a long time ago. And now it lingers in my mind like an image from an old dream."

Ezio turned, looking around the room, still speaking.

"I do not know where you are, or by what means you can hear me. But I know you are listening."

Ezio removed his bracers and dropped his sword to the ground with metallic thuds, and when he spoke again, his voice was resolute.

"I have lived my life as best I could, not knowing its purpose, but drawn forward like a moth to a distant moon." He turned, and his voice took on a slightly reproving tone.

"And here at last, I discover a strange truth. That I am only a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding." He paused a moment, then said, "Who are we, who have been so blessed to share our stories like this? To speak across centuries? Maybe you will be the one to answer all the questions I have asked. Maybe you will be the one to make all this suffering worth something in the end."

As Ezio turned back to the Apple, Desmond saw an image of himself appear. There was no surprise in Ezio's eyes, and he touched Desmond on the shoulder. Ezio's voice was firm as he said, "Now...listen..."

The golden light of the Apple flared, and Desmond heard a voice admonish him, speaking of time and calculations and detailing the catastrophe he'd seen in his previous visions. The Ones Who Came Before had tried and failed to save the world, and now these ones remaining wanted him to go and try to finish the work they'd started.

Desmond's eyes opened as the memory finished, and Rebecca looked down at him expectantly.

"I know what we need to do. Gather the others."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The others were all waiting for him as he walked out of the room that had contained the Animus. At a nod from Desmond, Shaun and John raced into the room to help Rebecca pack it up. William looked impatiently at Desmond.

"Did you find out what was in the library that was so important?"

Desmond nodded. "Altair's body, Altair's Apple and a message from Juno's kind." He shook his head a little, centering himself in the here and now. The nested memories of both men made it hard for him to keep them separate, and he spoke slowly, rubbing his temples.

"Apparently, the world ended due to some kind of natural disaster. The Ones Who Came Before ran out of time before they could develop a solution to save their kind. They want us to go to a Temple I saw in a previous vision...it's where they kept all their research."

William leaned forward. "Did you get any sense of what the natural disaster is or when it's going to happen?"

Desmond nodded. "The sun basically exploded. As for when..." His golden eyes opened. "A couple of months, but definitely before the end of the year." William threw up his hands in exasperation. "That doesn't help us, Desmond!" he snarled, and Desmond looked askance at him, his bright gaze flickering once to the sleeping form of Lucy and back to his father, a warning clear in his expression.

William resisted the urge to grind his teeth together in frustration. Lowering his voice, he hissed, "Can you give us anything else?"

Desmond sighed. "I don't know. All I know for sure is that it's before the end of the year...maybe that means something." William growled as Rebecca's voice floated into the room.

"Guys, we're packed up." William nodded, and Desmond padded over to Lucy. She slept on, obliviously. Torn between waking her up and letting her sleep, Desmond sighed, lifting Lucy's slight frame into his arms. Everyone stood aside as he carried her out of the room.

They packed themselves into the van, Desmond choosing to crouch on the floor where Lucas had been so that Lucy could sleep on the bench. Desmond had taken a pillow and blanket from the hotel, walking past William's raised eyebrow.

* * *

Desmond sat Indian style on the floor of the van, ignoring Shaun's usual colorful expletives as he once again dodged traffic, his expression set into an expression of worry as he spoke in Altair's smooth Arabic to Assassin contacts in Syria. William had apparently woken at least one of them up, and the man had not been happy about the interruption to his sleep.

William had tried to apologize in crude Arabic, and Desmond had winced as his father inadvertently delivered an insult, sending the irate Syrian into a fit of yelling. At that point, Desmond had simply taken the phone from him, apologizing in Arabic for his father's stubbornness.

It had taken Desmond several moments to calm the man down and convince him he was who he claimed to be. Finally, Desmond had asked him about the situation in Syria, and it was the man's response that had caused Desmond's current state of consternation.

William was set to explode as Desmond said goodbye and hung up the phone. "Well?"

Desmond took a deep breath. "Sayeed can't help us get into Syria. Even if he wanted to, the Assassins left are too few and too spread out to help us. Also in case you haven't read CNN lately, Syria is currently in the middle of a war. He told me that some of the Assassins are fighting on behalf of the resistance fighters, some on behalf of the government."

William cursed loudly, and Desmond shot him a look.

Kyle spoke up. "Why are some Assassins fighting for one side or the other? Shouldn't they fight for the Assassins?" Desmond shook his head, his gaze becoming thoughtful. "Assassins owe their loyalty first to the Brotherhood, but Syria hasn't had a cohesive Brotherhood since Altair's time. After awhile, they all drifted back to tribal ties. The country has been in upheaval pretty much since Altair died – and the Assassins not much better."

Desmond sighed, beckoning to Kyle, who handed over the map they'd been studying earlier. Masyaf lay in the center of it, and Desmond's finger traced along the various countries around it.

"Pretty much every country in this area is experiencing some kind of turmoil...Greece's economy crashed, Egypt is still recovering from that coup a couple years ago, Turkey is a mess because of the war in Syria, and we won't even get started on Lebanon or Israel."

He looked silently at the map a moment. "We're going to have a hard time getting there."

Rebecca's voice came to them from the passenger seat. "I'm afraid it's gonna be harder than that, Des." They all looked at her, and she sighed. "No private planes will fly us there...they attract more attention than public flights because a lot of the resistance groups have been using private planes and helicopters in attacks. Our only two choices are civilian transport or a military plane."

William muttered a curse, looking at Kyle, who shook his head. "I know what you're going to ask Mentor, and the answer is no. No friends I have in the service will violate laws regard the use of military transport in a war zone...it's treason, and their life would be on the line if they got caught."

William looked as if he were about to protest, and to his surprise, Desmond spoke firmly. "No. No innocent person will die to help us. We'll find another way." He turned his gleaming gaze to Rebecca. "You said we could use public transport...but what can we use for cover?"

Lucy's voice answered sleepily from the bench.

"Tourism would get us into Greece...their economy is shot, so they're welcoming tourist money with open arms. The only other option is becoming journalists...wartime journalists get more freedom in moving around inside a war zone, but their credentials have to be bulletproof...as it were."

Desmond looked over at Lucy, and she leaned off the bench to kiss him gently.

William cleared his throat, and Desmond saw Lucy roll her eyes at him before she deliberately kissed him again, deeply this time.

Kyle's wolf whistle was loud in the van, and Desmond grinned a little as he saw his father put his head in his hands, trying unsuccessfully to hide a blush.

Desmond laughed softly. "So...which is it? Tourism or journalism?" Rebecca turned from her laptop with a grin. "How about both?" They stared at her, and she clarified.

"We use both covers...less suspicion that way if one group goes with one story and the other group with the second. The question is...who gets to be the tourists and who gets to be the journalists?"

Desmond frowned. "Lucy stays with me." Rebecca nodded. "I figured you'd say that. And since you look the type, I think two lovebirds on an exotic vacation suits you perfectly. Shaun and I will use the same cover as Des and Lucy." The brunette deliberately ignored the sudden sputtered choking from the driver's seat. The van swerved a little, and Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"Oh, don't be such a wuss, Shaun, or don't you think you can handle me?" There was an uncomfortable silence before Rebecca looked at the others. "Kyle, John and Michael...you all look way too military to be anything but a journalist's escort. Bill, how are you in front of a camera?"

William sighed. "I hate public speaking."

Rebecca laughed. "You'll do fine. Just channel your best doom and gloom voice and you'll do great."

The brunette looked at the three soldiers. "Any of you speak Arabic?" John nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Did two tours in Iraq. I got the short straw, so I had to take Arabic while Kyle got Italian and Michael German. I can speak enough to communicate, but nothing as eloquent as Desmond there."

William stared at Desmond, one eyebrow raised. "What did you tell Sayeed?"

Before Desmond could answer, John grinned.

"Sir, I think if Desmond had told that guy he was the reincarnation of Mohammad, he'd have believed it. Des definitely has what my Dad used to call a silver tongue. From what I managed to overhear, Sayeed demanded to know who Desmond was to be giving him orders, and Desmond responded that he was the descendant of Altair."

John shook his head. "Apparently Sayeed believed him, because after that he acted as if he were talking to Jesus Himself. My guess is the Assassins left in Altair's home country revere him as a hero...legends live for a long time in that culture."

William stared at Desmond, whose golden gaze now focused studiously on his worn sneakers, a blush burning under his skin.

"John, if you sing my praises anymore I'm gonna start looking around for a lightning bolt or a pillar of fire." They all laughed, and it relieved some of the tension that ran high in the van. Rebecca spoke up again. "It's settled. Shaun, pull over near that shopping complex."

Shaun's voice came indignantly from the driver's seat as he spat, "Becca, we don't have time to indulge your shopping fetish! In case you haven't been listening, we've got to get on the first flight to Greece."

Rebecca frowned. "Oh, quit worrying. I got us all tickets on the same flight. If we're going to use these cover stories, we need costumes...and props. Now stop arguing and pull over!"

Shaun sighed exasperatedly as he pulled into the parking lot of a large shopping complex. Rebecca smiled widely. "C'mon boys, I'm gonna need lots of hands to carry things! Chop, chop!"

Desmond looked at Lucy, who was smiling. "She means you too, Des." Desmond sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he was herded out of the van.

"Do you want anything?" he asked as he pulled his hood up. Lucy looked thoughtful. "Chocolate. I'm craving it something fierce." Kyle touched Desmond's arm, whispering, "Make sure you don't forget that man, or there'll be hell to pay...I hear pregnant women can get really unreasonable about cravings."

Desmond nodded, kissing Lucy lightly. "We'll be back soon, Luce...try to get some more sleep. I have a feeling you'll need it."

**A/N: Geez. Going back through and making small edits since I wrote this story in a couple weeks and I've found a crap ton of mistakes in this one chapter...I must have been a zombie when I wrote it! If anyone notices anything else that doesn't make sense or places where I transposed names, let me know!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Daniel had to admit to himself that airports were far from his favorite place, always making him on edge and uncomfortable and as a large woman hauling a larger suitcase bustled past him, he realized what it was. The people. An endless sea of humanity, and his expression twisted into a contemptuous sneer.

Sheep, all of them. How little they knew.

All the better, he supposed, that the Templars would soon have what they'd sought for so many decades...an Apple of Eden, and its power would finally give them the means to save humanity from itself...and perhaps, from something larger. Vidic had hinted at it after he'd left the Abstergo building in Rome.

Daniel handed his ticket to the flight attendant, who smiled at him, her eyes tracing over him. He was for once dressed in formal clothing, his normally unruly hair neatly trimmed and combed back. Vidic had insisted he "dress to impress" since his cover was that he was an Abstergo executive being sent to Syria to protect their interests there.

He would fly to Syria and meet with Abstego's military contacts, and from there he'd be transported to Masyaf. With any luck, he'd arrive before the Assassins would, since he knew from talking to Vidic they were going to have a difficult time getting in-country.

The Templars had spent literally hundreds of years in power in the region, carefully controlling the balance of power there, and as their power grew, the Assassins had been forced underground, many of the individual cells being labeled as terrorist groups.

He took his stamped ticket from the attendant, offering her a quick smile and wink. He watched her blush, and then he turned to wait for his flight. He sat in the hard plastic chair, feeling the tug of the suit jacket and fidgeted. He was used to wearing more casual clothing, but this was necessary, and so he suppressed a sigh.

He hated waiting. Daniel was a fan of action versus stealth, but Vidic had been most adamant he follow orders to the letter. He had protested, but Vidic had threatened to send someone else after Desmond if he didn't obey, and so Daniel had allowed himself to be dressed in the monkey suit and forced to wait. His eyes narrowed as he watched planes taxi to and from the gates. Desmond was his to kill...and if he could arrange an accident, perhaps the traitor Lucy as well.

The thought of killing the last of the Assassins made him smile, and suddenly his wait was more bearable.

* * *

Desmond set down the shopping bags with some relief as they returned to the van. He heard his father talking, and Lucy's lighter voice responded as he knocked on the van door. The talking stopped as his father pushed open the van doors.

"Welcome back, son."

Desmond nodded, handing Lucy the shopping bags he held, and she immediately rooted through them looking disappointed. "Did you forget my chocolate?" Desmond grinned, and with his other hand he offered her a delicate box. "Of course not, Luce."

Lucy snatched the box out of his hand, opening it eagerly and taking a deep inhalation of the chocolate tart within. Desmond watched her take a bite of the tart, her face taking on an ecstatic expression.

"Mmm." Chocolate dripped slowly down her chin, and Desmond silently handed her a napkin, his dark-honey gaze amused. The others unpacked the rest of the gear and clothing, and Kyle winked at Desmond, inclining his head to Lucy, who was busily licking the last of the chocolate from the inside of the box.

To Desmond's surprise, his father said, "I have to give you credit son...it took me a month before I figured out cravings were serious business to a pregnant woman." Desmond looked at Kyle, and they both laughed.

Lucy frowned. "Are you making fun of me, William?"

William shook his head. "Not at all, Lucy. Just...commenting on the situation."

Rebecca's voice broke into their conversation. "Okay...everyone get their stuff ready!"

* * *

Desmond and Lucy were first to enter Leonardo Da Vinci airport. Desmond was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt, thought he had replaced his sneakers with more practical hiking boots. His hoodie was stowed in his carryon, and Desmond felt vaguely naked without it.

Lucy wore a surprisingly feminine dress, loose-cut and light. It was white with blue accents that matched her eyes, and Desmond's frankly admiring gaze had made her blush hotly as they'd exited the van. She moved easily in a stylish pair of low-heeled boots.

They approached the counter, and the attendant smiled at them, her gaze settled firmly on Desmond. He smiled, speaking easily in Italian, and Lucy privately ground her teeth together as the woman said something back, practically simpering. Desmond turned up the charm, leaning onto the counter and giving her a good view of his corded muscles under the tight T-shirt.

The woman stamped their tickets without taking her eyes off Desmond. Lucy grabbed them, putting them in her purse quickly, tapping Desmond with her foot.

Desmond ignored her, his voice dropping to a whisper, and the woman blushed.

Desmond winked at the attendant as they turned away from the counter. Lucy waited until they were out of earshot, then grumbled, "Laying it on a bit thick, weren't you _dear_?"

To her surprise, Desmond laughed softly, his amber gaze shining with mirth.

"No need to be jealous, Luce. I had to do some pretty fast talking to get her not to look too hard at our ID's." Lucy still looked upset, and Desmond chuckled again, pulling her aside into an alcove and kissing her in a way that took her breath away.

When she managed to recover, Desmond's eyes were liquid honey as he looked at her seriously. "I promise you'll never need to worry about me loving anyone else, Luce."

Lucy swallowed, unable to do anything but nod. Behind them, they heard a snort from Shaun. "If you two lovebirds can't even make it to a bed before you go at it, I'm sleeping in the car."

Desmond frowned, looking at the historian as they started off again. Rebecca caught up with them, holding a bag and four drinks. They sat at a table outside their gate, and Rebecca passed out the food.

As they ate, Rebecca's eyes settled on Lucy, who was unceremoniously wolfing down a sandwich as she unwrapped her own veggie burger. She leaned close to Desmond, and said quietly, "You need to keep an eye on her when we get there...make sure she doesn't drink the local water, and make sure she eats lots of snacks. She'll be hungrier and more easily tired the further along she gets till the second trimester."

Desmond nodded, and as Lucy finished her sandwich and started on the fries, she sat back with a happy sigh. "That was really good, Becca." Desmond looked up as an announcement came over the intercom.

"That's our flight."

They saw a line forming near the gates and hurried to join it. Desmond glanced around, pretending to stretch, his eyes scanning the area for his father and the others. As he did so, his cell phone dinged with a text message.

"Saw u looking 4 us a mile away. Calm down, we're on the next flight out. - K"

Desmond suppressed a grin as he replied, "Contact me as soon as u land. - D"

They made it up to the gate, and it took all of Desmond's willpower to look nonchalant as the gate attendant stamped their tickets. As the group walked down the ramp onto the plane, Lucy heaved a quiet sigh of relief. Rebecca just grinned, and Desmond knew she was proud of herself for having faked their ID's so well on such short notice.

They boarded the plane and Desmond stowed their carry-ons under their seats. He sat next to Lucy. Rebecca and Shaun were seated across the row, and Desmond moved over as a middle-aged woman seated herself in the aisle seat, oblivious to them due to her earbuds. Lucy looked a little concerned. "Des, you gonna be okay in the middle?"

Desmond nodded. "I'm fine...and it'll be easier for you to sleep against the window Luce. I never sleep on planes anyway."

Lucy looked concerned. "Des, are you afraid of flying?"

Desmond sighed, and his gaze flickered over to Rebecca and Shaun who were settling in. "Breathe a word of that to Becca or Shaun and I'll...I'll...I don't know, but don't. Please." He went quiet, and Lucy realized something with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"If you're afraid of flying...you must have been terrified when they took you to..." Desmond shook his head, his gaze fierce. "Let's just drop it, okay? The less I think about it, the calmer I might stay."

Lucy went silent, looking guilty. Desmond sighed. "Look...why don't you talk about something other than the miles and miles of empty sky we're going to be in?"

Lucy nodded. "Sure, Des." At that moment, the middle-aged woman who shared their row turned to look at them. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't notice you..." Her eyes fell on Desmond, and she unsuccessfully tried to hide a blush. "...uh...there."

The announcement came as the plane taxied into place. "All flight attendants, prepare for takeoff."

Desmond sighed, bracing himself as Lucy silently took his hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly. The middle-aged woman noticed and smiled at Desmond. "First time flying?"

Desmond shook his head, his golden eyes glinting in the light from the plane window. "Second...but the first was...not fun."

The plane accelerated, and Desmond saw spots as they climbed. After a few minutes, the pilot announced cruising altitude and Lucy nudged Desmond.

"Des, take a breath before you pass out. We're in the air, it'll be alright."

The middle-aged woman piped up. "Until we land, of course..."

Lucy shot her a dark look as Desmond winced. It was going to be a long flight.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

In point of fact, it wasn't a long flight at all, though Lucy was privately surprised Desmond didn't bolt through an exit door after the plane had landed. He had been fine for most of the flight until they'd hit turbulence over Athens, and Lucy had been able to see the muscles in his forearms stand out from the grip he'd had on the seat arm-rests. The plane landing had been even worse, and Lucy had unobtrusively looked for gouges in the arm-rests as Desmond lifted his shaking hands from them to remove his seat belt once they had gotten onto the runway.

Now Lucy followed him through the airport, and as they passed the baggage claim, Lucy spotted Rebecca and Shaun waiting in their preassigned spot. To her relief, she also saw William, Kyle, John and Michael there, waiting for the oversize bag that held the camera equipment Rebecca had insisted they get as "props."

Lucy strongly suspected she'd had a great deal of fun picking it out.

Kyle glanced at Desmond, one eyebrow raised. "You okay Des? You're looking a little wild around the eyes." Lucy smoothly stepped in. "Yeah, the lady sitting near us had tons of perfume on. Poor Des was between me and her, so he got to breathe it in most of the flight."

Kyle looked at Desmond, who nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Y-Yeah."

Lucy shifted as they made their way to the taxi stand, splitting as if naturally heading to different places as they entered the busy parking area. Desmond flagged down a taxi, and to Lucy's relief they got a taxi driver who spoke English. He laughed at Desmond's nervousness and said something Lucy hoped was a compliment to her with a wink.

The taxi pulled up at a rather nice hotel. Lucy suppressed a grin as she remembered the look on William's face when Rebecca had handed him the bill, but a hotel in a bad area wouldn't fit with an upper-middle-class American couple on a romantic getaway.

The hotel clerk smiled at them knowingly as Lucy apologized for not knowing Greek. "It is perfectly alright, madam. We get many Americans here on honeymoon." Mistaking Lucy's sudden blush for embarrassment, she leaned closer to her and said, "Your husband, he is the man with the tattoo, yes?"

Lucy's response stuck in her throat, and her blush deepened.

"Ah, he is quite handsome. You are a very lucky woman. Here is your key. Enjoy your stay."

Desmond came up behind Lucy, and one dark brow raised as he looked at her.

"Uh...Earth to Luce...come in Lucy..."

Lucy blinked as Desmond stared at her. "You okay?"

Swallowing hard, she nodded. "Yeah. I … I got our keys. Let's head on up..." Desmond looked confused as the hotel clerk smiled at him knowingly before the elevator doors cut off his view.

* * *

Desmond entered the room first, Lucy following behind her, strangely subdued. He dropped his carry-on onto the large bed, noticing that Lucy still held hers, her eyes distant. Desmond waved his hand in front of her face. "Luce?"

"Hmm?" Lucy's eyes looked at him, but Desmond could tell she wasn't really looking at him.

Desmond frowned. "If that lady at the counter said something that bothered you, I'll be happy to go downstairs and talk to her boss."

Lucy shook her head, still holding her bag.

"No, Des...she...she meant well. She didn't insult me."

Desmond seated himself on the edge of the bed, fixing his gaze on Lucy. "What did she say that rattled you? You're only like this when you're upset."

Lucy sighed. "She assumed we were here on our honeymoon." Desmond went very still, and Lucy took that to mean she'd upset him.

"I'm sorry Des...look, it was a silly thing to get upset about. It must be all the...hormones."

Desmond shook his head. "No...as a matter of fact, I've been thinking about that myself."

Lucy set her bag on the bed and began rooting through it. "My hormones?" She joked. "Well that makes two of us."

Desmond shook his head again, his golden gaze suddenly fierce.

"No, Luce. About getting married."

Lucy froze, turning her gaze to Desmond, who was not grinning. His gaze was serious. Lucy swallowed, waiting, and he sighed.

"I...I never thought about getting married, honestly. When I heard about the baby...all I could think was that I had a family to take care of." Lucy stared at him, and she blinked back sudden tears.

Desmond looked up at her, his gaze vulnerable. "I never thought about getting married because...I can't really imagine not having you with me."

Lucy couldn't speak, and tears flowed down her face. Desmond looked concerned as he gathered her into his arms. "Luce, I'm sorry I upset you...please, don't cry."

Lucy shook her head helplessly, trying to stem her tears. "I'm...I'm sorry Des. I'm...I'm not mad at you. I...just didn't have any idea you felt so...strongly about it."

Desmond held her for a few minutes, and then said, "I do. I don't think I've ever felt more strongly about anything in my life, Luce. I don't have much to offer, but if you'll marry me I promise it won't be boring."

Lucy stared at him, her tears stopped.

"Desmond, did you just ask me to marry you?"

Desmond watched her carefully. "Yeah, I'm fairly sure I said 'marry me' and 'Luce' in the same sentence." He frowned. "Actually, it might have been two..." There was a hint of his easy smile then, but the vulnerability in his eyes remained.

Lucy nodded. "Yes. I'll marry you, Des." His eyes brightened, and she laughed as he kissed her. He hugged her tightly, and she felt the familiar thrill at the press of him against her.

She pulled away a little, and when she looked at him again, her gaze was sultry.

"You did make a promise about things not being boring mister, and you didn't put any time limits on it."

Desmond stared at her, and his gaze melted as he read her expression, and he smiled slowly. "Well, you are right about that. I suppose I'd better...get started." Lucy purred against him as he began to kiss her.

* * *

It was much later, and the moonlight streamed in between the curtains. Desmond's eyes opened in the gloom. Lucy slept against him, her hair glittering gold against the white of the pillows. Though they had only gotten to sleep a few hours before, Desmond was restless. He hadn't really planned on asking Lucy to marry him so soon, but it had seemed right, and as he ran his fingers through her hair, the feeling deepened.

He had been serious when he'd said he couldn't imagine being without her. Lucy had always been his rock, ever since he'd first woken up at Abstergo those months ago and her betrayal had hurt him more deeply than he'd even been aware was possible. He hadn't been ready to forgive her until the Apple's power had let him see that the betrayal had come close to destroying her entirely.

When Vidic had announced her pregnancy, Desmond's first reaction had been utter shock. He supposed he and Lucy ought to have been more careful the first time they made love, but at the time they'd both been so eager he hadn't even thought about it.

Once his initial shock had worn off, he half-expected to be frightened, but to his surprise, his first emotion had been joy. He was going to be a father...to a little boy, or a little girl. A child, his and Lucy's.

He would not repeat his father's mistakes. He was determined his child would not know the pain of a beating or the weight of adult fears, or go to bed frightened by tales of enemies waiting in the shadows to hurt him and his family. No. That would not be, no matter what Desmond had to do.

Idly, he thought back to Ezio...Ezio had dearly loved his children, and had bitterly lamented the lack of endurance to play ball with his son, or to help his daughter pick grapes in the vineyards. Sophia had always been kind when he had pleaded some pressing errand, but her kindness had cut like a knife to the man's pride. At the thought of Ezio, Desmond was startled when he spoke, his voice echoing in the vaults of Desmond's mind.

"_Tanti auguri, Desmond. A good wife is as rare as any artifact, and more valuable by far. It took me many years to learn that lesson."_

Desmond couldn't hide his shock as he replied, _"Can you hear my thoughts?"_ Ezio laughed. _"I resided within the Apple, Desmond...where does the Apple's information now reside?"_ Desmond sighed. _"So I'm gonna have you listening in on..."_ A sudden blush burned through Desmond's skin. _"Does that mean you...uh..."_ Ezio's response was deadpan. _"She is a good match for you in stamina, fratello mio." _

Desmond was positive his skin would burn off from the heat of the blush.

Lucy's voice came sleepily to him. "Des...what's wrong?" Desmond was unable to answer, and eventually he managed to stammer, "Uh...nothing, Luce. Go back to sleep." Lucy sighed, snuggling back into him. Eventually, Desmond's weariness overcame his embarrassment and he fell asleep.

**A/N: I'm sorry, the fluff-bunny bit me pretty hard on this one. They'll get to Syria next chapter, I swear!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Desmond woke to the sound of his cell phone. Frowning, he grabbed it from the nightstand. Sunlight streamed in the window, and Lucy lay beside him, her hair a tangled mess. "Yeah?" he said, his voice quiet. "Geez Des, did you keep Luce up all night?...It's almost 10 AM." Desmond sighed. "Where are you?" Rebecca giggled. "So you _did_ keep her up all night?" Desmond rolled his eyes. "I'm not answering that, Becca."

He felt Lucy stir beside him, and when she saw him on the phone, she sat up. Desmond listened for a few minutes, then nodded. "Okay. We'll be down in a few."

Desmond closed the phone, pulling the sheets aside. Lucy admired him as he rolled to his feet with that unconscious grace and stretched. He turned to look at her, and despite herself, she smiled, stretching herself into an alluring pose. She saw Desmond's gaze melt, and he groaned softly, resolutely closing his eyes.

"Believe me, I wish we had more time too, Luce," he growled. Lucy got out of bed, kissing him lingeringly. When he opened his eyes, she had bolted for the bathroom door, laughing. Desmond's gaze narrowed and he grinned, giving chase.

* * *

Rebecca and Shaun were waiting impatiently in the lobby when Desmond and Lucy arrived. They went out to the parking lot, and Shaun finally exploded as they reached the rental car.

"What the bloody hell took you so long? Can't pass up any opportunity to get busy?"

Rebecca stared at Shaun, her eyes wide. Desmond was silent as he tossed their bags into the trunk. Lucy shot the historian a glare as she slid into the backseat. Desmond sat behind Shaun, and as Rebecca started the car, he said, "Becca, who are we meeting?"

Rebecca glanced back at him in the rear view mirror. "Your Dad called earlier. They managed to get into Syria, and he and the guys staying with a small cell of Assassins. Unfortunately, that particular cell is one of the ones on the terrorist watch list. He and the others are having to move around constantly to avoid Templars and government troops."

Desmond considered that, then said, "What are our options? How did they get in?"

Rebecca responded, mumbling a curse under her breath as she pulled out onto the side street, just missing getting clipped by a taxi. "They bribed border guards. They're sending some Syrian Assassins here to meet us and smuggle us into the country. They'll have ID's and appropriate clothing. It'll take us a day and change to drive there, which is probably the safest route to take, given all the anti-aircraft in the area."

Desmond nodded, and Lucy noticed his grip on her hand relax at mention of driving.

"How long till we meet up with them?"

Rebecca cleared her throat uncomfortably. "We were supposed to about an hour ago...I contacted them and said there was a...delay. They weren't happy, but they're waiting for us at a local restaurant."

Desmond nodded, sitting back in his seat.

Shaun glanced back at him. "Not going to apologize for making us almost miss our ticket into Masyaf? Yeah? Your primal urges almost cost us the mission!"

Desmond closed his eyes, shaking his head when Lucy opened her mouth to protest.

Rebecca's voice cut in.

"There's Sayeed...Des, he's the guy you talked to on the phone...I'm shocked he's here...I thought he'd have sent someone instead of coming himself – he's the local Assassin leader."

Desmond opened his eyes as they parked the car. The man Rebecca referred to was shorter than he, carrying a few extra pounds and wearing a thin beard. His dark eyes stayed trained on their car, even as he sat seemingly totally relaxed, sipping a steaming tea.

The other two men at the table were unsmiling, and their tea sat untouched.

They exited the car, and as Desmond emerged from the car, the man's eyes went wide in shock.

Rebecca stared as he got up, totally ignoring her and Shaun. Desmond strode up, Lucy a few steps behind him, and the man stared at Desmond, awe written on his face. Desmond blinked, standing very still as the man raised a trembling hand to trace the scar that marred his lips.

"Can it be?...Altair?"

Desmond's gaze shifted to Sayeed. The shorter man's eyes widened as the golden gleam in Desmond's eyes became more pronounced for a moment, then faded.

"Altair is my ancestor. My name is Desmond, we spoke on the phone."

Sayeed nodded, though his eyes still studied the younger man's face.

"Yes...you say your name is Desmond, but your face is his. Your eyes are his...even your scar..."

Lucy cleared her throat.

"Um...I hate to interrupt but..." Her stomach rumbled, and she blushed hotly. Desmond steered her towards the table Sayeed had been sitting at, placing himself between the foreboding-looking Assassins and Lucy.

The waitress smiled too-perkily at them, asking in halting English what they'd like. After they'd placed their orders, Sayeed looked seriously at them. "Are you certain you wish them come to Syria? It is a dangerous place, especially for women. Perhaps it would be better if they stayed here."

Rebecca looked at Lucy, whose expression clearly told them what she thought of the idea. "He's right Luce..." she said, quietly. "I mean...it's not the safest of places for...a...woman in your condition." One of Sayeed's brows rose, and he studied Lucy carefully. She blushed, unconciously seeking Desmond's hand.

Sayeed's gaze was curious as he asked Desmond, "You brought your pregnant wife on a mission?" Desmond's voice was quiet. "Yes. The Templars are after us both. I'd agree with you about here being safer if that weren't the case. She comes with me."

Sayeed shook his head. "She will be protected better by many than just you, my young friend. You are only one man."

Rebecca laughed, and Sayeed stared at her. "I was not speaking in jest." Rebecca shook her head. "Trust me, when you see some of the stuff Des can do, you won't say that again. If he's made up his mind, there's no changing it."

Desmond stood up. "Let's go."

* * *

The trip into Syria was relatively uneventful for reasons that made Sayeed profoundly disturbed. When they'd approached the first checkpoint, Desmond had merely raised a hand, and Sayeed had seen a golden glow surround his hand, writhing under the young man's skin like a live thing. His eyes had shone in the darkness, and around the guards' heads a halo of the same light appeared.

At some silent command from Desmond, the guards had laid down their weapons and dismantled their own barricade to allow them through. When they had driven past the checkpoint, Sayeed had worked up the nerve to speak to Desmond.

"Will they not remember our passing?" he'd asked, and Desmond had shaken his head silently, turning his attention back to the blonde woman who slept in his lap.

The same eerie process had repeated for each checkpoint they'd passed, and at one point Desmond had taken control of soldiers that had rushed the car. He had stared at the frozen soldiers for a moment, his expression becoming one of disgust. To Sayeed's horror, the guards had pointed their own weapons and shot each other.

Even Rebecca was silent from shock as Desmond had re-entered the car. Desmond had said quietly, "Yesterday they razed a village." His expression went hard. "What they did to the women and children is unforgivable."

Sayeed had not needed to ask for further details. He'd heard many stories of atrocities committed by both sides, and he bowed his head. They made it to the Assassin hideout as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon.

Sayeed's own wife rushed out to greet him, as they arrived. She wore a full burkha, her dark eyes widening at seeing Desmond. She bowed hastily to him as he entered, a bleary-eyed Lucy beside him. "Is there somewhere my wife can sleep?" he asked softly. At a nod from Sayeed, Adha led them into the house. Desmond helped Lucy settle onto the bed, covering her with a blanket.

"Is she ill?" Adha asked softly, and Desmond shook his head. "Pregnant." Adha blinked, her smile invisible under her veil. "Ah, many congratulations." Desmond smiled, his gaze softening. "Thank you."

* * *

Daniel actually laughed as he scuffed his boots over the worn compass carved deeply into the stones of the courtyard. Not only had he beaten the Assassins here, there was no sign of them having entered the country yet at all.

Vidic had told him the entrance to the library would be underground – likely by now buried or walled off in the bowels of the castle. He turned to a tech, who was frowning at some kind of machine.

"What's the word? You found that vault yet?"

The tech pursed his lips, shaking his head.

"I don't see anything showing up on sonar...if there's a chamber of some kind under there, it should show up as an empty space...but everything this scan is showing me says there's nothing down there but solid rock, sir. Are you sure this vault of yours exists?"

Daniel scowled.

"Yes I'm fucking sure. If your scans don't work, why don't you, I dunno, try sending someone down there?"

The tech frowned. "Going down there is dangerous sir...the supports are all collapsed, and any structures that might remain are unstable."

The tech pried a brick loose from the wall, his pocketknife blade sinking into the old mortar easily. "See this? This used to be solid mortar. It's so dried out from the years of desert heat that it crumbles like feta. You're talking about sending my men down to walk on this stuff. One misstep and someone will get killed."

Daniel snarled. "Did Abstergo send me out here to oversee this or not? There's a vault down there, and we're going to find it. I don't care what it takes, but get your asses in gear!"

The tech sighed. "You realize it could take a few decades to dig through all that? This fortress was basically rebuilt on top of itself every time someone new conquered this area...for the last thousand years. We'll be knocking down old walls into older walls, and who knows how far back it goes? When was this vault of yours supposedly built?"

Daniel frowned. "I'm not sure...during the lifetime of the Assassin leader called Altair." The tech laughed. "If you're serious, then we'll be here digging until we're both old men...unless you have an approximate location?" Daniel growled. "No, I don't have a location or we wouldn't be here looking for it! Now quit arguing with me and get started!"

The tech's salute contained a middle finger as he turned away from the blonde Templar. Daniel looked down at the worn compass on the stone. He ground his teeth together. He would find that vault, no matter what it took...and when he did, Desmond and his bloodline would die.

* * *

Lucy watched silently as Desmond rooted through his bag, looking for a clean T-shirt. His jeans were thankfully sturdy, as were the boots he'd gotten in Rome. The tactical gear he'd wear was laid out on the bed. She was already dressed in a full burkha, her blue eyes the only thing visible from behind the veil. She and Rebecca were thankfully close to the same height, so someone seeing them from behind would not be able to tell one woman from the other.

There was a polite knock on the door, and Desmond stood up. Lucy watched the play of his muscles as he moved to the door, opening it a crack. Sayeed stood outside the door, and in his hands was a white bundle.

"I am afraid there is no time to wash your clothing. My wife will see to it while you are away. In the mean time, I thought it appropriate to offer you these."

Desmond blinked as Sayeed offered him the bundle, taking it hesitantly.

He shook out traditional white tribal robes. The hood had been reinforced with white leather and embroidered with the Assassin compass in red thread. A scarlet sash was folded within the robes.

Desmond looked askance of the older man and he said, "These robes are mostly traditional. We rarely wear them for any purpose other than ceremony...but as you and your fellow Brothers go to reclaim Masyaf for us after so many centuries..."

He went silent a moment, and Desmond saw tears in his eyes.

"It would honor us few who are left greatly if you wore them into battle."

Desmond was silent a long moment, then clasped the other man's forearm in an age-old gesture, murmuring,_"La shai'a waqi'on motlaq bal kollon momken__." _

Sayeed nodded. "We await you in the living room when you are ready." Desmond nodded.

He left the room, the door closing softly behind him. Desmond looked at Lucy, and she silently went over, helping him dress. The tactical gear went under the robes, lending Desmond's normally-lithe form bulk. A belt wound around his waist, holding several guns and knives. He took her face into his hands and kissed her. Lucy felt tears slide down her cheeks. They had agreed she would stay at the hideout with the other Assassins. John would stay to guard her, along with William, Shaun and Rebecca.

Desmond, Kyle and Michael would go with a few other Assassins to Masyaf and attempt to reach the library. "I wish I could go with you..." she said, and Desmond shook his head resolutely, pulling the hood up. His eyes gleamed golden from beneath it, and the resemblance to Altair was unnerving.

"I know. But I'm fairly sure there'll be a lot of shooting, and I don't want to take the risk of you getting hurt. You know what to do if anything happens." Lucy nodded, swallowing. "Yes. Don't worry...if...if things don't go well, I'll make sure they never find us."

Desmond nodded. "I love you, Luce. I'll be back soon."

Lucy nodded, turning back to bed as the door closed behind Desmond's silent steps.

* * *

There was a profound silence as Desmond stepped out of the house, the wind whipping the robes over him. Kyle and Michael were dressed in their usual hoods and tactical gear, and both bowed respectfully as Desmond came up. William's gaze was unreadable as he looked over Desmond in the robes. He rummaged around in his bag, withdrawing Desmond's hidden blade. "If you're going into battle, you're going to need this, son."

Desmond nodded, tightening the blade around his wrist.

"Take care of her for me, Dad."

William nodded, feeling a lump in his throat. "Of course son...after all, she is carrying my future grandchild." A hint of Desmond's easy grin was seen for a moment. "Thanks, Dad. We'll be back soon."

Desmond looked at the others. "Let's go." Kyle and Michael saluted smartly, and the Assassins who'd been stationed around the courtyard gathered. All of them watched Desmond with something akin to religious zeal. He gave a short order in Arabic, and they all immediately filed into cars.

When the last car had left, the gate of the Assassin hideout slid closed, and William whispered, "Good luck, son."

**A/N: I've had a lot of people ask me about the ending for this. Apparently several folks are afraid I'll end this story like AC3. While I intend for MotW to end at approximately the same time as AC3, obviously events will be different since several key events in the game didn't happen in my version of the world. **

**I welcome reviews, reviews tell me what needs improving.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Night was falling as they approached the once-proud castle. They approached the castle from the west, gathering just behind the first of the nearly-fallen walls.

"Master Miles?"

Desmond turned from his contemplation of the castle, his expression a little sad. Kyle frowned, motioning him closer. "How are we going to open the library door once we find it? We don't know what Ezio did with the keys he had...what happens if he tossed them into the sea or something?"

Desmond was silent, and after a moment, he said, "Let's ask him."

The Assassins gathered close all took a step back as Desmond put out his hand, closing his eyes. The flash of golden light seemed very bright in the darkness, and when it faded a tall man in dark robes stood palm to palm with Desmond. There was a collective gasp as Ezio looked around, his gaze settling on Desmond.

He noted the young man's attire and grinned, murmuring something in Italian. The others looked at Kyle, who translated, "Ezio says he appreciates that Desmond is properly dressed."

Ezio's gaze flickered over the group of Assassins, and Desmond motioned to him. They walked a bit away from the group.

"I presume you are here for the Apple?"

Desmond nodded, speaking quietly. "There's a problem. We don't have the keys to open the door. What did you do with them after you left the Library?"

Ezio frowned. "I hid them under Sophia's bookshop...but you cannot go there now...and after so long, they may no longer be where I put them." Desmond sighed. "Well, we can at least get to the door and...I'll think of something."

Ezio's gaze looked out over the ruins of the castle. "Are you sure Altair's Library is still here? The castle is in ruins...might it have been destroyed or looted?"

Desmond shook his head. "It's here. I don't know how I can tell, but I know it's still here. I don't suppose you remember the way there?" Ezio looked thoughtful, turning around. "I believe so, though it has changed much since I was last here."

Ezio turned to the wall, and Desmond stopped him with a slight tug.

The Master Assassin's dark eyes settled on him.

"I should mention that the place is crawling with Templars...modern ones, with guns that shoot hundreds of rounds a minute and machines that can find you even in the dark."

Ezio grinned.

"Sounds entertaining."

Kyle's voice broke into their conversation. "Now that's my kind of attitude." Ezio's gaze went to Kyle, and Kyle grinned. "Shall we go?"

Desmond sighed, shaking his head as the two grinning Assassins nimbly leapt the first wall. Desmond motioned to the others, and they streamed silently into the castle.

* * *

The courtyard where the Templars were working was laughably easy for the Assassins to avoid. Desmond could clearly see Daniel Cross sitting in a camp chair, arguing loudly with a technician.

Bright construction lights illuminated the Assassin symbol carved into the stone of the courtyard. Kyle practically had to drag a fascinated Ezio from the edge of the wall.

Desmond whispered into his headset, "Becca, how the fuck did they get all this equipment in here? I thought this was a historical site?" Becca's voice came back, muted over the headset. "According to what I've found they put in a restoration permit."

Ezio looked at Desmond, one dark brow raised. Desmond blinked until he realized Ezio didn't know he was talking to Rebecca. He shook his head silently, pointing at the headset and miming talking. Ezio cocked his head, his gaze burning with curiosity, and they moved on.

They went along the battlements until they found a tower with a hole in the floor, dropping down one by one. Desmond pulled out a flashlight, flicking it on, and Ezio stared in wonder at it until Desmond handed him one. "It's an...electric torch," he whispered. "Point it where you want to see."

Ezio's voice was quiet with awe. "Such wonderous devices you have, Desmond. Are all things in your time so?" Desmond grinned tightly. "Most things, _fratello mio_, but not all."

They moved on down the corridors, winding deeper and deeper underground. Some were blocked, and they were forced to go around. It seemed to take forever, and Desmond touched the light on his watch. Ezio stared at the glowing numbers. "A timepiece, is that not?" he asked, and Desmond nodded.

"It says we've been in here for hours...we're running out of time."

Desmond was tiring. The strain of keeping Ezio physically present along with the rough terrain was taking a toll on him. Ezio stopped, his flashlight tracing along the walls. "This way. We are close. These are the old prison cells...or they were at one time."

The path they followed dead-ended at a wall, obviously hastily constructed. Ezio frowned. "There is no way to go around. The door must be through here." Desmond sighed. "Then we dig." Using equipment and their hands, they pried away the old stones. The mortar crumbled, and as they dug, dust choked them. When the wall was pulled down, Desmond felt a faint rush of air. "There's a hollow space behind it."

Desmond barely squeezed through the hole they'd made, followed by the others. He could tell the room they had entered was much larger than the path they'd been following, and fresh air came into the cavern from slits far above.

"Yes, this is the place...there is the door, Desmond."

Against the far wall was a large, flat surface, indented with the door he remembered seeing open in Ezio's own memories. The stone was aged now, the key indentations almost totally worn away with age. Desmond ran his hand over them, and Ezio muttered, "The keys would not have done us any good...the locks are degraded after so long."

They all looked at Desmond. "I do not know how we are to open the door now, Desmond. I am sorry."

Desmond put his hand against it, sighing. He wanted to scream with frustration, but he was too tired...it had taken so much out of him to keep Ezio here...his eyes narrowed. Ezio had unwittingly made an imprint of himself into the Apple he'd activated...Altair had used imprints of his memories as keys...what if Altair had imprinted himself into his Apple?

Desmond looked up as the room shook, sand streaming down his hood. They looked up at the ceiling, alarmed. Desmond's cell had lost signal long ago, so they had no way of knowing if the Templars were using the heavier equipment they'd brought in or not. If they were, it was only a matter of time until they found the library...or brought the ceiling down on their heads.

They were out of time. Desmond put his hand against the door and concentrated. He didn't have enough strength to reach out to the Apple he knew thrummed in its hidden alcove at the back of the adjoining room. "Ezio...help me."

Ezio stepped forward, taking Desmond's other hand. Even with Ezio's strength, it wasn't enough. Desmond groaned from strain, sweat dripping from him. "A-Altair..." he growled. "A-Altair...please...help me."

It wasn't enough, and Desmond wanted to cry. To his surprise, Kyle took Ezio's hand, and he felt strength flood him. He looked up, and the Syrian Assassins joined their hands to each others' and Kyle's, forming a human chain. As each man added his strength to Desmond's, Desmond managed to push past the door, to the Apple, and in his mind's eye he saw the Apple flare. He heard gasps from the others as they shared his vision.

The Apple flared again, and Desmond called in Arabic, "Altair! Your brothers need your aid!"

When the Apple's third flare faded, Altair stood in front of the remains of the chair he'd died in. He blinked, looking around and looking down at himself in shock. His features were those of the old man who'd died in that very room, though when he moved it was with the vigor of a much younger man.

Desmond managed to call to him one last time. "Altair! We're outside!" Desmond could not stand the strain any longer and dropped his hand from the door. The others stepped away as he fell to his knees, his head bowed, his chest heaving.

The door beneath Desmond's hand groaned loudly as it opened. As it did, Altair eyed them from the other side of the door, the glowing Apple in his hand. His eyes went to Desmond's bent form, stopping next on the form of Ezio, who was in a similar state.

The heavy stone door gave an ominous sound, and Kyle pulled a startled Altair from behind it as it slid back down with a grinding crunch.

Altair looked back at the stone door, then nodded at Kyle. He looked down at Desmond, who was struggling to stand. The elderly Syrian Assassin offered the younger man an arm, while Kyle helped up Ezio.

Desmond's golden gaze was almost blank from shock. Altair's gaze went wide as he beheld Desmond's face. "You. I have seen your face before." Desmond managed to come back to himself enough to nod.

"Yes...I'm the one your message was intended for. It brought me here. Now, we have to leave. The Templars are above us, and the machines they're using to dig will crush us in here if we don't get back to the surface."

Altair looked up as they all did as the room shook again.

"We have to leave now!" Kyle growled, and one of the Syrian Assassins translated for Altair. They made their way back to the hole they'd dug, squeezing through the tunnel. The trip back was a blur in Desmond's mind, and he and Ezio had to be practically carried by the others.

The sunlight was blinding as they emerged out onto the surface. Desmond heard shouts and his headset screamed in his ear. "Shit!"

There was the rattle of gunfire, and Desmond felt one whiz past him. Kyle cried out in pain as the bullet hit him. Altair looked around in shock, and Desmond shook him. "Altair we have to go!" he cried, as the shooting intensified.

"MILES!" Cross' shout was loud in Desmond's ears.

Pain blinded Desmond as a shot hit him in the shoulder. Another hit him in the chest, his vest stopping it, but he felt something in his chest pop in protest, and it was suddenly hard to breathe.

"Des has been hit! We've got to get out of here."

Desmond blearily saw Daniel's face, his expression murderous as he raised the silenced gun again, aiming for Desmond's head.

Cross stumbled back as Altair's throwing knife whistled through the air, embedding itself in the Templar's chest. It was a precise hit, and Altair readied another even as they turned to retreat.

Desmond switched to eagle vision and saw red lining the tops of the battlements.

"No..." he groaned. As long as they were in the narrow corridor, they'd get taken out by the snipers.

Desmond focused himself, and his eyes flared golden, the white geometric patterns under his skin lighting up as he focused all his thoughts on protecting the group as they fled through the Assassin stronghold.

Dimly, he heard shouts of anger as the bullets stopped, embedding themselves into some kind of energy barrier. Desmond could barely see, but he kept his thoughts focused on protection until they were through the castle gate, running down the hillside on the eastern part slope of the castle.

Altair and Ezio stared in shock as the familiar van roared up, followed by a pickup truck. "Get in!" Rebecca's voice came from the window, and Altair and Ezio were pushed in with Desmond as they all piled into the back, the doors slamming shut. The Syrian Assassins piled into the back of the pickup, and they sped off in opposite directions.

Desmond couldn't really feel much as the van swerved, turning corners at breakneck speed. Ezio and Altair hung on for life, both looking terrified for the first time Desmond could ever remember. After an hour or so, the van slowed, and Rebecca spoke from the driver's seat. "Sorry guys...I know it was a rough ride, but I think we lost them..."

She blinked at them in the rear view mirror, mentally counting. Altair managed to look up from the floor of the van, and Rebecca gasped a curse. "Holy shit, is that...?" Kyle's voice was gruff as he answered. "Later. We need to get to medical care. Des was hit twice, and I took one in the vest."

Desmond was blacking out as the van finally stopped and the doors were yanked open. "Desmond!" Lucy's voice came to him, and he managed to groan weakly. Desmond was lifted gently onto a stretcher, and he saw Lucy looking at him with tears in her eyes before he passed out.

**A/N: This chapter was going to be longer, but I decided to split it to keep it about the same length as the others. Chapter 25 will be posted likely tomorrow. **


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

The smell of Lucy's shampoo tingled his nose as he became aware of himself again. Desmond's eyes blinked open, and he realized he was lying on his back on a bed, his robes stripped off, his chest and shoulder tightly bound with bandages. Lucy lay beside him, asleep. He tried to move a little, hissing with pain, and Lucy's eyes opened instantly.

"Des?"

Desmond grunted as she moved, jostling his sore shoulder. "Yeah...how...how long was I...?" Lucy shook her head. "Three days. For awhile...Sayeed wasn't sure you'd wake up at all." Desmond looked around. "Altair and Ezio?" Lucy sighed. "Ezio disappeared when you passed out, and Altair gave the Apple to me with instructions to give it to you when you woke up and no one else."

Lucy got up and pulled Altair's Apple from her bag. She handed it to Desmond, shuddering. "His Apple doesn't feel the same as Ezio's...when I held that one, it made me want to hold it...but Altair's...it's almost like it wants you to go away."

Desmond held the Apple in his hand, feeling the familiar thrum.

The thought of using it made him tired. Lucy noticed his expression. "You should get some rest Desmond." Desmond shook his head. "How bad was it?"

Lucy's lips tightened. "A broken rib – the vest stopped the bullet, thankfully, and somehow you didn't puncture a lung getting here. The shot through your shoulder was clean, it didn't damage the joint, so it should heal well." Her head bowed. "You were lucky Cross was distracted or you'd probably be dead. We're still not sure how you guys made it through the gauntlet the Templars had setup...the battlements you ran under were lined with snipers. Kyle said something about some kind of force field..."

Desmond nodded. "I...I'm still not sure how I did that..." He lay back onto the pillow, feeling exhausted.

Lucy stroked his face. "Just...get some rest, Des." Desmond shook his head. "We need to get out of here. The Templars will tear the city apart looking for us." A knock came from the door, and they turned to see William standing there. The relief on his face at seeing Desmond awake was almost palpable. "How do you feel, son?" he asked.

Desmond sighed.

"I've had better days, but all things considered, I'm okay."

William nodded. "I'm glad to hear that, Desmond. You...had us worried for awhile." There was a silence, and then William cleared his throat. "Desmond...I know you're tired and injured but..." Lucy cut him off, her expression fierce. "No." William stared at Lucy, and she continued. "You were going to ask him to use Altair's Apple, and I'm saying no. He needs to rest...in his condition the strain might kill him."

William looked as if he were going to argue, and before either of them could say anything, Desmond said, "He's right Luce. I know you don't like it, but we need information on where to go next, and Altair is the only one who has it." Lucy looked at Desmond, her expression angry. "Des, you're in no condition to use the Apple. It might kill you!" Desmond sighed, closing his eyes. Lucy was right. He was exhausted, he had no strength to give unless...his eyes opened.

"Luce, there's a way. To open the door to the library, the others helped me. I was able to...draw on them somehow. That might work..." He looked around. "Where are we?" William's voice was quiet. "We're in Tartus. At the moment, we're waiting to hear if Sayeed and the others can get us a plane."

Desmond nodded. "The Templars?" William closed his eyes. "We had a couple close scrapes, but we managed to dodge their patrols. We need to get back to the States before they manage to put us on any terrorist watch lists."

"What day is it?" Desmond asked quietly, and William checked his cell phone. "Friday, November 16th." Desmond nodded. "I'll summon Altair." Lucy shook her head, and Desmond gave her a resolute look.

"I'm sorry Luce. I've got to do this. Dad, ask everyone to come in here please." William nodded, and the others filed in after a few minutes. They joined hands at Desmond's request, and Desmond held the Apple. It flared, and Desmond felt the strength drain from them as Altair appeared once more.

Desmond dropped back onto his pillow, and Lucy frowned. Altair looked around at the massed Assassins, and his eyes settled on the semi-comatose Desmond. "I don't mean to be rude, but he almost killed himself to bring you here...please...make this fast."

Altair's gaze settled on Lucy. He murmured in Arabic, and the same Assassin who'd been translating said, "He says he understands you wish to protect your beloved, but some of what he wishes to tell Master Miles must be said in private."

Altair gave several orders, and the others filed out of the room, Lucy very unwillingly.

Desmond struggled to sit up fully, and Altair stepped to the bed, silently assisting the younger man. Desmond's honeyed gaze met Altair's matching one, and the elder Assassin sighed heavily. "I do not mean to offend your beloved. Please give her my apologies."

Desmond nodded. Altair seated himself on the bed, his weight causing the springs to creak in protest.

"I had known that at one time someone with your face would come looking for the Apple. It took me many years to learn how to control my talents to access the information it held, and longer still to master certain aspects of its use. It is of this use I wish to speak to you now, Desmond."

Desmond nodded again, and said quietly, "When I absorbed the information in Ezio's Apple...it showed me some things I didn't understand." Altair nodded. "There were once many Apples, and each one stored a certain portion of the memories of its wielder. There was one Apple created that was a map to the rest, and it is that Apple you hold now, my young descendant."

Altair sat back, his gaze becoming thoughtful. "When I first accessed the Apple, it was by accident. My touch caused it to display random images and words in a script I could not read...and it was years before I realized it would display information at my command. I used the information within this Apple to create many things...better weapons and armor being paramount among them, for most of what it contained was plans for the implements of war, as well as a map to the pieces of Eden that were also intended for that use."

Desmond nodded. "It makes sense...Ezio showed me a Temple where they apparently kept a lot more of their information." Altair nodded. "I too have seen an image of this place, but when I saw it I had no way of knowing where it might be located. In my arrogance I thought it located within the Holy Land...but it was built instead in a land across the far sea...a land men had not discovered until recently."

Desmond's expression tightened. "America."

Altair shook his head, closing his eyes. "I do not know this name you call it, but that is where you must go. The numbers the one called Ezio found are the key to finding the Temple." Altair actually cracked a slight grin as he said, "I do not need to tell you that time is short."

The young man sighed. "No, you don't. Seems that's all anyone's been telling me, and for you to be telling me from a thousand years in the past just makes it worse." Altair nodded. "Very good, my young descendant. You have deduced one of the powers of the Apples. They are communication devices. You have also discovered another of their abilities that I did not discover until I was a very old man...the ability to manifest physically items the Apple contained memories of."

Desmond nodded. "That's why you...and Ezio are solid. You're physical manifestations of the memories each of you imprinted into the Apples." Altair nodded. "I studied the Apple for many years, and in my use of it, I came across several memories of devices intended by the First Ones to defend rather than destroy."

Altair looked seriously at Desmond then. "One of the visions I saw showed the world burned to cinders...the people charred to skeletons, the great cities destroyed by flaming rocks from the heavens. It was a nightmare, Desmond, one I could not wake from."

Desmond looked away, and said, "I've seen it too. One of the First Ones told me it was what destroyed their race...and ours. They said after it, they and the remaining humans intermingled to save both races." He looked back into Altair's eyes, and his voice was low. "I think it's going to happen again. Sometime soon...I just wish I knew when." He shook his head angrily, and Altair's hand on his uninjured shoulder stopped him.

"The First Ones were not Gods, Desmond, and no being can know the future for certain. If this catastrophe is imminent, then the time we have must be spent preparing. I devised a device from an example of the one I saw within the Apple, but during my time I did not have the ability to build it." Altair looked at Desmond's wristwatch. "But you...you can build it. You have machines of a wonder I had only seen previously in the Apple."

Desmond nodded. "Tell me what I have to do." Altair smiled sadly. "I do not need to tell you, my young descendant. Only touch the Apple, take its knowledge into yourself as you did before, and you will know what to do."

Desmond looked at the Apple, and then at his ancestor.

"If I can just absorb the information, why bother telling me about it?"

Altair sighed. "With my dying breath I sought to protect the Apple from those who would use it for their own gain." His amber gaze settled seriously on Desmond. "I wanted to make sure the man I told its secrets to was worthy of the knowledge. I could not assume that even my own blood would not be corrupted by the power of the Apple – for it is power Desmond, power that would twist the purest soul."

He watched Desmond carefully. "You absorbed the power of Ezio's Apple...have you used it against your fellow man?"

Desmond nodded. "I used it to determine the truth of events from Lucy, and once to help a Templar escape after he helped us. I used it to make the patrols into Syria forget our passing...and once to exact justice for some murdered women and children by two guards who'd..."

Desmond shuddered. "I don't even want to talk about what they did." Altair watched him, and Desmond swallowed. "I used it to call to you from outside the library, and I used it to help absorb the gunshots when we were fleeing the Templars at the castle. I've used it to summon you and Ezio when there is need."

Altair nodded, and Desmond was startled as he heard the familiar sound of a hidden blade being sheathed.

"Had you played me false, I would have killed you, Desmond."

Desmond nodded calmly. "I know. That's the real reason you wanted Lucy and the others to leave."

Altair sat back, and there was pride in his eyes as he looked at Desmond. "I cannot express to you how relieved I am that my bloodline remains pure. You are a good man, Desmond Miles, worthy of the Apple's power." He leaned forward, close to Desmond. "Now Desmond, use the Apple."

**A/N: This one took awhile to write because of all the exposition. I know it's a little slow, but there will be plenty of action yet to come.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Everyone was startled from the nightly news as the house shook, golden light spilling from beneath the door of Desmond and Lucy's room. There was a stunned silence as the light faded, and as one the group of Assassins got up, but before they could get to the door, it opened, revealing Desmond's battered form.

The Apple he held was dark, and he himself was changed. His skin was traced with white lines in intricate geometric patterns, the same ones Lucy remembered seeing beneath his skin at Abstergo when she'd worked to save his life.

They pulsed softly beneath the skin of his body now, lit by the same inner fire that brightened his honey gaze to gold. Lucy was relieved to see that his face remained unchanged, though when he looked at her she was unnerved by the almost inhuman resolution she read there.

"Des...you should be in bed..." She heard herself say automatically, and the others all stared at her, some incredulously. Desmond blinked, seeming to come back to himself. "I know Luce. But we don't have time. We've got to get to Turin, New York. That's where the Grand Temple is." William looked at his son, some fear in his gaze. "Do you know...when?"

Desmond's expression hardened. "Before Christmas."

Sayeed spoke up. "The plane can be ready in an hour." Desmond nodded. "Do it." Sayeed bowed. "At once, Master Miles."

* * *

Vidic was beside himself with rage as he threw the cell phone across the room, where it skittered and slid, smashing against a wall. Daniel's failure to secure Altair's Apple set their plans back an immeasurable amount, and the fact they'd done it quite literally under his nose just rubbed salt into already raw wound.

He'd _warned_ the arrogant young man not to underestimate Desmond's use of the powers of the Apple. He snarled angrily, looking for something else to destroy when a timid voice interrupted his tirade. "Uh...Dr. Vidic?" Vidic whirled on the cowering guard, snarling, "What?!" The guard held a package in his hand, and handed it to the irate scientist with a shaking hand.

"This arrived for you sir, just now..."

Vidic snatched up the package. It had no return address, and he tore it open to reveal a tablet.

Frowning, he turned it on, and Daniel's face appeared.

"I made sure this would arrive after you got done throwing things, Warren. You always did throw stupid temper tantrums. I didn't get the Apple, but I did manage to plant a tracking device on Desmond." The tablet switched to a video of Desmond staggering back from a shot to the shoulder, and after that, a map appeared. Vidic smiled as the blinking dot moved along a road in Syria to a private airport.

He might forgive Daniel for his screw-up. It all depended on what their unwitting Assassin guides led them to.

* * *

The airfield was dark except for a single plane as the Assassins pulled up. The plane lights came on as they approached, and a Syrian man in a suit exited from it as the group exited the van. He shook hands with Sayeed, his eyes tracing over the group and stopping finally on Desmond, who was dressed in his usual jeans and hoodie, the hood pulled up to conceal the Apple's glow in his eyes.

The man in the suit approached Desmond. "You are the descendant of Altair?" Desmond nodded silently, his uninjured arm wrapped around Lucy. He sighed. "You realize you are putting me in an awkward position. If I am discovered, years of work will be undone. I am a politician, not a fighter."

The suited man folded down his left ring finger, and Desmond inclined his head.

"I realize the risk. But if we don't get to the States as soon as possible, the world may pay the price. Thank you Brother." The man sighed. "I have heard tales of the first Mentor, since childhood on my father's knee, and you do indeed resemble him greatly." Desmond looked thoughtful.

"Would you like to meet him?"

The suited man blinked, staring. "Meet him? The Grand Mentor has been dead hundreds of years!"

He whirled on Sayeed, his expression angry, but the other man merely grinned as a flash of golden light illuminated the airfield.

Desmond spoke quietly to Altair, and the suited man turned abruptly, going still with shock as Altair beheld him, a stern expression on his face.

The suited man couldn't speak as Altair said, "My descendant tells me you are providing us passage on your..." His golden gaze settled on the plane with some confusion. "...vessel so that we may complete our mission." The suited man stammered something and then fell to his face on the pavement.

"Forgive me, Grand Master Altair! I...I thought your descendant quite mad..."

Altair actually laughed, and his weathered hand took the suited man's arm. "Stand, my Brother. I am hardly a god worthy of worship." Desmond might've argued that point, judging from the look of awe on the man's face as Altair spoke next.

"What little I have seen of the world in this time saddens me greatly, my Brother. Brothers fighting Brothers, the Templars ruling much of the land via their machinations. War, suffering and poverty. I had thought in a thousand years, the world might be different...but I see now that it is not the world that must change – it is the hearts of men."

Altair looked into the eyes of the suited man. "My descendant tells me you are a leader among our people. It is those men who wield power who can effect the greatest change. Do not disappoint me, my Brother."

Altair stepped back, and in another instant he was gone as if he'd never been. The airfield was silent, and the suited man had tears streaming down his face.

"You have shown me a miracle, descendant of Altair. A true miracle, of a kind I had not thought possible. May I know your name?"

Desmond nodded. "Desmond Miles. This is my wife, Lucy. I won't ask your name, I know you're worried about security."

The suited man bowed deeply to them both, and as he rose his eyes lit upon Lucy's thickening waistline, concealed under her wrapped burkha. His eyes widened, and he offered Lucy a nervous smile. "My congratulations to you both." Lucy blushed. "Thank you."

Rebecca called, "We're loaded up and ready to go Des."

Desmond nodded, and the suited man bowed deeply to him as they boarded the plane.

They settled themselves on the plane, and William looked over at Desmond. "Desmond...I noticed you've referred to Lucy as your wife since we've been here...is there something I should know?"

Desmond shrugged.

"It's easier for them to accept. Don't worry Dad, Mom would kill me if we eloped." He glanced at Lucy. "She did say yes when I asked, so it'll be formal soon enough."

Lucy smiled at him, taking his hand in hers tightly. "I have to say Des, you definitely kept your word so far about it not being boring...but to be honest...when this is over...I think I could go for some boring for awhile."

Desmond feigned a shocked look. "You could go for boring? Does this mean I was right about you being an in-bed-by-six type?" Lucy laughed, leaning over and kissing Desmond deeply. His gaze melted when he beheld her next, and she said, "I'm perfectly happy to be in bed at six Des..." Her gaze became sultry. "As long as you're in it, that is."

William cleared his throat uncomfortably, and the silence was broken by Shaun's indignant, "Oh for Chrissakes, get a damn room, some of us are trying to get some sleep!" Desmond looked at Lucy and they both laughed. Shaun groaned and put in his headphones. "I was bloody serious," he muttered, and then William joined them in their laughter.

* * *

Daniel practically ran off the flight as it landed in Rome, only to almost run over Vidic, who waited impatiently outside the gate. "What the fuck? What are you doing here, Warren?" Vidic sighed. "Come on, or we'll miss our flight." Daniel frowned, following Vidic down the terminal. "What flight? To where? Did the Assassins leave Syria?" Vidic nodded.

"They left several hours ago, and from what intel we have managed to gather they're headed for the States. The two largest airports on the East Coast are in New York and Washington D.C. They'll likely be headed for one of those." Daniel frowned. "Do we know where they're headed in the States?" Vidic shook his head. "No, but your excellent little tracking device ought to show us, as long as we make sure they are able to get where they are headed."

Cross skidded to a halt in front of the elevators. Vidic pressed a button and tapped his foot impatiently. "Wait, so we're going to help them get into the States?" Daniel demanded. Vidic smiled. "Yes. The techs finished going through all the recordings we took from Desmond when he was in our...care. Some of them show some kind of central Temple. I think that's where the Assassins are heading, and if they're headed there in such a hurry, whatever is there must be powerful." Daniel shook his head. "I don't get you, Vidic. Why would we help an enemy?" Vidic frowned. "For the greater good, my dear boy...the greater good."

**A/N: Right...I'm on a roll tonight, mostly cause I'm going to lose my time to write to homework for part of this weekend, so I wanted to get the chapters I'd written posted. Edited cause for some reason I'm writing thousands instead of hundreds. Too much math on the brain, methinks. **


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Desmond woke as the pilot's voice came on over the loudspeaker. "We are approaching La Guardia. Please have your passports ready." The Assassins all roused, moving from the seats they'd occupied for the past 20 hours. They'd been forced to change planes in Rome, and William had chafed at the delay but Desmond was happy the plane they'd switched to was a larger one than the private jet they'd used to get out of Syria.

Strangely enough, they were able to make it through the airport in Rome a second time with a minimum of identification check. Everyone else coming from Syria or Greece was stopped and searched, but their bags were somehow overlooked. Desmond had his suspicions about the ease of their boarding onto a plane bound for New York – but at this point he didn't frankly care about who might have made it easier for them to enter the United States – they needed to get to the Temple soon.

Every minute would be precious in the end, Desmond knew. Altair's Apple had showed him many visions – many of them disturbing. He was quiet about his revelations to the others – he knew that they would waste time trying to understand when time was of the essence. He sighed as he settled into another plane seat, understanding some measure of the burden that Altair had shouldered so long ago.

"_He who increasth knowledge, increasth sorrow."_

Altair's voice echoed in his head, and he nodded in silent agreement, closing his eyes in exhaustion. It was harder for him to keep things straight. The knowledge of both Apples and the bleeding effect warred within his mind constantly, each clamoring for dominance whenever he closed his eyes. He knew Altair and Ezio tried to shield him from the onslaught, but their strength was tied to his, and his drained a little more with every night he woke thrashing and moaning to Lucy's concerned gaze.

He took a breath, trying to center himself. He heard Lucy greet someone who sat down beside Desmond, and Desmond cracked his eyes open the barest amount to see who it was. William sat on Desmond's right side, thanking a man he'd apparently switched seats with.

"Son?"

His voice was quiet, concerned, and Desmond sighed.

"I'm fine, Dad...you didn't have to switch seats."

William shook his head, leaning close and saying in Desmond's ear, "Don't think I haven't seen you, Des. You haven't slept since we left Syria. You've been having constant nightmares since you absorbed Altair's Apple." Desmond nodded.

"There isn't...anything I can do. They're all...fighting in my head. All the memories..." Desmond put his head into his hands. "Altair and Ezio...they try to help me, but they are only as strong as I am, now."

William nodded. "Hang in there, son...we're going to land soon." Desmond nodded, swallowing. He supposed it was strange he had no problems whatsoever scaling buildings and towers with no harness or rope, no fear when performing a Leap of Faith from a narrow ledge – yet on a plane, tried and tested technology, he was terrified.

Maybe it was the technology of it that bothered him so much. At his idle thought, he began to see images of flying devices form within his mind. He groaned softly, trying to stop the flow of information, endless information – and every idle thought triggered a tide of information related to that topic, no matter how minor.

His brain had become a veritable Google of alien technology. The only trouble was, he couldn't stop a search once he'd started one – inadvertent or not. Desmond ground his teeth together, whimpering softly and doing his best to blank his mind. Altair's voice whispered in his mind.

"_Do not fight it, Desmond. Fighting the flow causes pain."_

Desmond suppressed another whimper. _ "I-I can't even think, Altair."_

Altair's voice came again, a calming presence among the storm. _ "Think about something it cannot understand. Remember, the Apples contained knowledge of machinery only." _

Desmond wondered what that meant, and his thoughts were interrupted as Lucy squeezed his hand, bringing him back to himself. "Des, we're on the ground..."

Desmond blinked, and then the realization hit him. Something the Apple couldn't understand. Physical sensation. Lucy moved to pull her hand away, and Desmond tightened his grip, concentrating on the feel of her hand in his – warm and soft, with slender fingers.

"Des?" Her voice was concerned. Desmond looked at her. "Just...keep touching me," he said softly, and Lucy looked confused, her brows knitting together. Some amusement sparkled in her eyes and she joked in a whisper, "In public, Des?"

Desmond grinned tightly. "It's...hard to explain. Let's just say it keeps me...here."

They disembarked, and Lucy kept her hand firmly in Desmond's. The others noticed but said nothing, and they piled into a rented van. Rebecca counted crates. "Looks like Baby made it, despite all the stops. We'll head to the Temple."

* * *

Lucy shook Desmond gently. He'd fallen asleep almost immediately in the car, his hand still firmly in Lucy's grip. "Des...wake up. We're here."

Desmond roused, blinking. He took a deep breath, releasing Lucy's hand as he moved towards the entrance.

The entrance to the Temple was an unassuming cave, and Desmond shivered as a cool wind blew from inside. William and the other Assassins all watched him as he entered the cave, flicking his flashlight around. The cave went in about twenty-five feet, ending at a smooth wall that had at one time been painted with images.

Desmond head the others enter behind him, their flashlights illuminating more of the cave paintings. He felt along the wall, not sure what he was looking for, until he felt a place on the wall that felt different somehow. He frowned. It was warm, as the Apples had been warm. Switching to Eagle Vision, he looked up at the wall – the door – he realized, and he strained to read the angular script on the door. The information flow began within his mind, and this time he welcomed it. The meaning of the glyphs became clear, as if appearing from murky water, and Desmond said, "This was a research facility. It contains various projects the First Civ guys built to try and prevent the solar flare. This is the right place."

Lucy came up beside him, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "Let me guess, we need an Apple to open the door?"

Desmond nodded. "Yes. As a matter of fact...we need a specific Apple. Ezio's contains the key to this door." He released Lucy's hand and turned to her. "I don't know what might be in there, so I want you to go wait with Kyle and the others." Lucy nodded, kissing him fiercely.

Desmond approached the door, touching the spot he'd noticed earlier, and the cave was filled with golden light as his hand shone brighter than the sun. The Assassins covered their eyes, and when the light faded, they heard the grinding of some huge mechanism. The door split down the middle, a black entrance yawning open before them.

Desmond entered the Temple first, his flashlight beam abruptly dropping off the edge of something, and Lucy heard his muffled curse echo from somewhere below. Kyle prudently pulled her back as she ran forward. "Desmond?" she called, and a moment later she heard him.

"I'm alright. Watch that last step...it's a doozy."

She heard him cough, and despite herself, she laughed. "Desmond, that's a terrible joke!" she called, teasingly. Desmond's laughter floated up to her. "I know. Seriously, get some ropes...this incline is pretty much a cliff with no handholds, guys."

Kyle grinned as their lines uncoiled into darkness, and Lucy was lifted easily by the blond man and carried down to the bottom. Desmond waited there, brushing dust off his hoodie and jeans.

The Temple was comprised of flat planes that ended abruptly in chasms, and Lucy could dimly see light rushing through the platforms. A chill wind made her shiver. Desmond came back to the group, unzipping his own hoodie and wrapping her in it. Lucy snuggled the warm garment to her. It smelled like Desmond, and she sighed. "Won't you be cold, Des?"

Desmond shook his head. "I'll be fine, Luce."

He turned to head further into the Temple, and towards the back of the area they saw a glowing blue door. In front of it was a peculiar mechanism that vaguely resembled a lock.

"_So, you have arrived...you are too early. You have doomed your world by defying me." _

A voice echoed behind them, and Desmond whirled, his finger automatically flicking out his hidden blade. A glowing form regarded him, her eyes hard, and Desmond snarled.

"Juno."

**A/N: And so we start the AC3 portion of the time line. Huzzah!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Vidic furiously typed at a computer. The signal had abruptly cut off somewhere in eastern New York, and Vidic was cursing under his breath as he pulled down the last logs from the tracking device. The signal had dropped off the map entirely, and now Vidic had to triangulate which cell towers it had last communicated with before it went dark.

Cross idly toyed with his gun, watching the road pass outside the van. "You found it yet?"

Vidic snarled something unintelligible in Italian, then switched to English long enough to snap, "Shut up and let me work, Daniel. The faster I get these coordinates calculated, the faster we can find the Assassins and the Temple."

Cross snarled to himself, turning his gaze back out the window.

* * *

Desmond stepped closer to Lucy as the glowing woman took a few steps towards them, his blade held low. Juno's eyes went to Lucy's, and then traced down, settling on her swelling belly, now barely visible under Desmond's loose hoodie.

Her gaze lingered there a moment, and then her expression twisted in rage.

"What have you done?" she demanded, and Desmond tensed, stepping fully in front of Lucy. The other Assassins immediately closed ranks around Desmond and Lucy, their blades drawn.

Juno's voice rose higher as she shouted, "What have you DONE? This is not meant to be...the Path is not opened!"

Desmond's voice was calm as he stepped from behind the other Assassins. "You mean _your_ path isn't opened."

The glowing woman's face twisted into a snarl. You do not know what you have done! She must die, and the child also!" Desmond's expression set into hard resolve.

"You will not touch them. Your plan has failed."

Juno stared at him, then laughed derisively. "You think you know so much!" she hissed. "You have only absorbed a tiny portion of our knowledge! How you have done it I know not, but all the knowledge in the world cannot help you if you cannot comprehend it!"

Desmond smiled, his eyes like topaz.

"That's where you're wrong."

He raised his hand, and they were all forced to cover their eyes as it flared. Juno gasped as Altair and Ezio stepped from seemingly nowhere, their eyes trained on the glowing woman. "Impossible!" she cried. "You...have learned to use the Apples, how?!"

Desmond growled.

"We humans are much smarter than you give us credit for."

Juno snarled, taking a step back. "You still do not have all the pieces you need! You cannot save your world without my help!"

Desmond's gaze became resolute again. "We'll see about that. You said we were here early, so I gather that we have time to figure something out." Juno smiled cruelly. "There is one key yet you need find, and without my help you will never find it!" Desmond's voice was very quiet as he said, "I've had enough of your help. See, it almost always seems to consist of you telling me to go do something, and for some insane fucking reason, I go do it."

Desmond's expression went cold.

"The last time you tried to 'help' me you almost forced me to kill the woman I love. I don't think we need your help anymore." Juno snarled at Desmond as she disappeared. _"Your arrogance will be your undoing!"_

* * *

Vidic sat back as the signal abruptly reappeared. It was as if whatever had been blocking the signal was suddenly removed, and he realized they were less than a hundred miles from where it blinked steadily. Daniel noticed the change in his posture and sat up, his expression eager.

Vidic smiled. "I think we just hit pay dirt." He looked at Daniel. "Remember...when we get there, Desmond is yours, but make sure Ms. Stillman makes it through relatively unharmed."

Daniel nodded, impatient. "Let's get going, already!"

Vidic nodded as he gave the driver directions, and the van swerved, turning around and heading towards the signal that blinked steadily on the GPS.

* * *

Lucy shivered in Desmond's hoodie as Rebecca rushed around, setting up Baby. Desmond came towards her bearing a steaming mug. "Here. This ought to help. Kyle and the others brought some MREs, and one of 'em had hot chocolate in it."

Lucy inhaled the warm steam gratefully, sipping the drink slowly. She sighed. "I don't know how comfortable I feel sleeping down here, Des. I mean...we are sort of being haunted by a very angry ghost...or...imprint..." She frowned. "Come to think of it, what is Juno, really? What are any of them? Are they imprints, like Altair and Ezio? If they are...why aren't they solid?" Lucy saw Desmond's gaze go hard.

"I mean...not that I wish they were, otherwise I'd probably be dead but..."

Desmond cut her off. "Right at the second, the only thing I'm thinking is that its a damn good thing they're just holograms. I don't even want to think what a terror Juno would be if she were a corporeal crazy, magical space wizard."

They heard a snicker from nearby, and Kyle grinned back at them. "Sorry sir, now I'm gonna think 'crazy magical space wizard' every time I see that chick." Desmond grinned back, and Lucy managed to laugh. "Only you would make fun of an entity that very much wants to kill us, Des."

Desmond shook his head. "She won't kill you, Luce, or our baby. I stopped her before, I'll do it again, as many times as it takes."

Lucy sighed against his shoulder, drinking her now-lukewarm hot chocolate. "I know you will Des, I just hope it's enough to prevent what's going to happen..."

Desmond nodded. "I'm going to go see how they're doing with Baby..." He stood up, and the glowing patterns under his skin flared. His next step was staggering, and Kyle got to his feet as Desmond went to his knees, his skin lit from within with the geometric patterns. The walls of the Temple thrummed, and Desmond groaned as images began to appear around him.

Juno's laughter echoed in the Temple as Desmond looked around in shock. Dimly, he felt his body being moved, and his father's voice commanded, "Put him into the Animus!" He heard Lucy's protest and then he was...

"_Sir?"_

_A beat, then, "Sir, everything all right, sir?"_

_He turned, facing the other man - his coachman - and nodding. "Yes, fine. I'm just preoccupied, is all."_

"_Don't forget your invitation, Master Birch will be meeting you inside."_

"_Thank you."_

"_Where shall I retrieve you once you're done?"_

_He strode a bit faster. "The front of the opera house, and be quick about it, I don't expect to be here long."_

"_I'll bring it 'round at once."_

_He moved on into the opera house, handing his invitation to the man who asked for it without so much as a glance._

_He heard the man call from behind him somewhat helplessly, "Shall I...take your coat sir?"_

_He waved a hand dismissively as he strode up the stairs, hearing idle conversation around him. An announcement came from somewhere below. "Ladies and Gentleman, you are hereby requested to find your seats!"_

_He made his way to his seat, and the man sitting beside him glanced over long enough to say, "Haytham." He responded easily. "Reginald."_

_Reginald spoke again. "Can't tell you how happy I was to hear they'd mounted this revival. Gay's best work by far." Reginald glanced over at Haytham, who did not return his gaze. "Have you seen it before?"_

_He responded, "Once, my father brought me here as a child, but I remember little of it. But I suppose tonight will not afford me a proper viewing either." Reginald looked away. "No, I'm afraid it won't."_

_The other man sighed. "Onto business then. Do you see him?" _

_He turned on Eagle Vision, and his target became clear._

"_He's seated in one of the boxes above." Reginald nodded. "The stairs are watched. You'll need to find another way up."_

_He glanced around, muttering, "I already have."_

_He made his way across the stage to the box, narrowly avoiding detection, and as he entered the box behind his target, he heard only sadness in the man's voice as he seated himself behind him. _

"_Haytham. You should have come to me. We would have found another way."_

_Haytham's voice was quiet as he heard someone move behind him._

"_Yes, but then you would have known."_

_He leaned towards the back of the other man's chair, whispering, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry." The other man sighed. "As am I." There was no sound as his blade slid into the man's back, and he took the amulet from around the man's neck in the same movement. _

_He turned to face the horrified stare of the little boy who had run into the box behind him. Putting a finger to his lips, he motioned for silence as he left the box, nodding to two women who passed by him on their way there, and he knew he had seconds before they raised the alarm._

_He forced himself to move at a stately pace, and as panic began to spread through the crowd, he increased his step as if to avoid unpleasantness._

_He made his way out of the opera house while avoiding detection, and as his coachman opened the door for him, he asked, "And how was the opera?"_

_Shortly, he replied, "Rather dull, truth be told." _

_The man shut the door to the coach, and he examined the amulet in his hand once more. The coachman looked over from the bench. "Shall we be off, then?"_

_Absently, he replied, "Aye. To Fleet and Bride."_

_The coachman nodded. "By your command."_

_The scene shifted, and another man spoke. "Fascinating. Gentleman, I hold in my hand a key..."_

The memory was abruptly interrupted as Desmond was dragged from the Animus, and the jar of the real world meshed unevenly with the memory he remained bound to. Blearily, he opened his eyes to a familiar face as Vidic said, "Well, hello again, Mr. Miles."

**A/N: I hope to get more written this weekend, we'll see how it pans out...**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Desmond struggled uselessly against the grips of the Abstergo guards, seeing the others similarly restrained as a tech sat at Baby's console. "Get away from her!" Rebecca cried, and a guard viciously drove the butt of his rifle into her stomach, knocking the wind from her.

The geometric patterns under his skin flared brightly, and Vidic smiled at him. Lucy struggled in Daniel's grip. "Take her out to the van." Lucy screamed for Desmond as Daniel began to drag her out of the Temple.

"No!" One of the guards surrounding Desmond stunned him with the butt of his pistol. "Quiet!"

Vidic frowned. "Now, Mr. Miles, our host tells me you've been most...uncooperative." Desmond's gaze narrowed as Juno appeared, the cruel smile on her face. Vidic turned to her. "Ah, there you are. This Temple is a wonder. Thank you kindly for inviting us in."

Juno actually smiled at Vidic.

"It is quite a welcome change to meet a man who knows what it is to be civilized. Ah, if only your bloodlines had been suited to this task..."

Her gaze shifted to Desmond. "Unfortunately, only he contains enough of our essence to do what must be done." Vidic frowned at Desmond.

"And what exactly is it that you need him to do?"

Juno contemplated Desmond silently, whose muscles were tense against the grips of the guards, his gaze burning bright gold.

"Their machine will provide the means by which he will perform the duty I brought him here for. First, he will find the key his ancestor hid, and once that is done, we shall speak of what is to come."

Desmond snarled low.

"I won't help you. Either of you."

Juno laughed.

"You will or you will never see your mate and child again." Juno looked thoughtfully at him, her eyes narrowed. "Or perhaps you require more...immediate motivation?"

Vidic nodded at the guards, and they dragged Kyle forward, forcing him to his knees.

"Mr. Miles, for every 30 seconds you delay, we will shoot one of your friends."

Kyle looked up at Desmond, his expression resolute.

The guard leveled the gun against the back of Kyle's head, and Desmond saw the blue eyes close.

"N-No..." he moaned. Vidic's voice spoke. "Time's up, Mr. Miles."

The gun went off, and Desmond's cry of anguish echoed in the Temple.

Desmond could barely see through his tears as they dragged John forward, kicking Kyle's body out of the way. John was forced to kneel where Kyle had been seconds before.

The gun was leveled again, and Desmond sobbed.

"Stop...stop...please." He bowed his head. "I'll...I'll do it."

Vidic held up a hand, looking at Juno, who had watched the display with an impassive expression.

"Does that suit your needs?"

Juno nodded. "It does. Put him in the machine."

Desmond didn't resist as he was forced once more to lay in the Animus.

* * *

Lucy eyed Daniel from across the van, her hands bound behind her back. He looked impatient, but as he noticed her watching him he frowned.

"Eyes on the floor, Stillman."

He cocked the gun, and Lucy's gaze obediently went to her feet. From outside, Lucy heard a cry of anguish...it sounded like Desmond, and she swallowed hard, tears stinging her eyes.

Her mind immediately began to conjure up what they might be doing to him, and she shivered, doing her best not to cry. Daniel noticed her shaking, and his voice mocked her.

"Aww. Don't cry, Lucy. I'm sure they'll let Dezzy-boy live long enough to find whatever it is the space lady is looking for before I kill him."

Lucy shivered, and her voice was low and hoarse as she said, "The only way you'll kill Desmond is if he's not able to fight back. In a fight he'd wipe the floor with you, Cross."

Daniel snarled, and Lucy's head rocked back from his slap.

"You don't know that! Now keep your mouth shut, bitch, or I'll forget about Vidic's orders and kill you and Desmond's brat!"

Lucy settled her gaze back onto her feet and wished with all her being there was something she could do, but at this point all she could do was wait.

She hoped Desmond was alright.

* * *

The Templars herded their prisoners into an alcove of the Temple, forcing them to kneel along the wall, hands above their heads. William looked at Vidic, his voice hoarse. "If it's the last thing I do, I'll see you dead, Vidic."

Vidic smiled at William. "Raise too much trouble for us William, and you'll join Desmond's friend there." They had dragged Kyle's body to a corner, and it steamed in the cool air of the Temple.

William swallowed the lump in his throat. He'd recruited Kyle himself, and the man's loyalty to the Assassins had been unquestioned. Though his own pain ran deep at losing another Assassin when there were so few left – he knew that for Desmond the death was personal. Kyle had been his closest confidant, and he bowed his head, grieving both for Kyle and for the pain the man's death caused his son, who tossed restlessly in the Animus.

He wondered what they could do now – with the Templars helping Juno with whatever her goals were – how would they save the world?

**A/N: Obligatory - "You bastard, you killed Kyle!"**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

"_You are a Templar. May the Father of Understanding guide us."_

Desmond's surprise choked him as the memory ended, and he came out of the Animus to the sound of Vidic's laughter.

"Well, well...Mr. Miles, wasn't _that_ quite interesting?" Vidic hauled him halfway out of the Animus by his shirt, forcing the young Assassin to look him in the eyes. "Seems you have more in common with us than you thought, hmm?"

That did it. Desmond's remaining control snapped, and he twisted off the Animus, his fist catching Vidic by surprise. Desmond pinned the older man beneath him, screaming inarticulately in a mix of languages as he punched the hated visage as hard as he could, feeling Vidic's jaw shatter under his blows.

It took six men to drag Desmond off of Vidic, and Desmond writhed in their grip, his eyes ablaze.

"_Cease this primitive brawling!"_

Juno's voice echoed sternly in the chamber. She appeared, in the middle of the group, looking down at Vidic. Desmond continued to struggle against the guards, growling angrily, his muscles straining.

Frowning at Desmond, Juno knelt beside Vidic. Vidic lay very still now, a gurgling groan escaping him. Juno stood, her expression angry.

"You have killed him."

Desmond spat, his eyes blazing.

"You're next."

Another voice behind them said, "What the fuck is going on?" Cross stopped dead at seeing Vidic's still form on the floor of the Temple. His gaze went to Desmond, whose hands were coated with blood.

Daniel's eyes went narrow, and he pulled his gun.

"You killed him!"

Desmond snarled. "No shit."

Daniel growled, pulling his gun. Juno's voice protested, "No! We need him! He is the only one who can open the door!"

Cross shook his head, tears in his eyes.

"Shut up bitch!"

Desmond threw back his head and laughed. Daniel's grip on the gun wavered. "What the fuck is so funny, Miles?" he demanded. Desmond shook his head. "You're a fucking pussy, Daniel. Too scared to fight me without your precious guns?" Daniel growled.

"I can kick your ass any day!"

Desmond laughed, his gaze reflecting only scorn. "Right. Tell me another one."

Daniel roared with rage. "Let him loose!"

Juno's voice broke in again. "We do not have time for this useless display of male dominance!"

Desmond's eyes went blank for a moment before flaring twice, and then the guards released him, throwing him towards Daniel.

The Templars silently formed a ring around the two men, and Daniel tossed his gun to one of the guards. Juno disappeared with a scowl on her glowing face.

The Assassins looked at one another as Altair's silent form moved among them, his blade slicing through their restraints. The elder Assassin motioned for silence as Desmond and Daniel began to circle each other.

Daniel threw the first punch, and Desmond blocked it, twisting the blonde Templar's arm painfully against the joint. Daniel snarled, and his next blow caught Desmond in the ribs. Desmond showed no sign of pain as he increased the pressure, and Daniel's scream followed the snap of his arm.

When the men separated again, Daniel's arm hung uselessly at his side.

Desmond grinned at his opponent, his golden eyes narrowed. Daniel realized with sudden terror that Desmond was _toying_ with him. As he narrowly dodged another blow, Daniel wondered why Desmond would bother prolonging the fight if he could kill him so easily.

His answer came as he heard screams abruptly cut off around him. An Abstergo guard fell into his path, and he tripped, falling backwards.

Daniel stumbled, regaining his feet as Desmond lunged. He landed hard on his back, Desmond crouched above him, and Daniel heard his hidden blade as it extended.

He looked up into Desmond's eyes, the golden glow seeming to burn into him as Desmond's hand touched his head. Something passed between them, and Daniel was almost grateful as Desmond muttered, "Requiscat in pace." The blade came down, and Daniel Cross was dead.

* * *

Lucy shifted in her bonds. Daniel had left the van abruptly after hearing chaos on the radios, and it'd been at least half an hour by her estimate. Maybe something had happened to him...she hoped fervently something had. There were still guards posted around the van, so she'd have to be quick if she wanted to make a run for it...

A muffled sound came from the darkness, and out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the guards drop to the ground, limp.

A pair of hands clad in gauntlets quietly dragged the body into the shadows, and Lucy caught the glint of the heavy ring that adorned one of the man's fingers. Ezio. She breathed a sigh of relief as the guards dropped silently, one by one, and when they were all dead, the door to the van opened after a few minutes.

Ezio looked inside the van, his gaze settling on her with some relief.

"My apologies _signora_, I am unfamiliar with your...vehicles' locking mechanisms." At least that was what Lucy was fairly sure he said. Her Italian had never been very good, and she sighed as his blade cut through the zip ties that held her hands behind her back.

She tugged gently on his robes, and he turned, his dark eyes set on her. She'd never been this close to him before, and the resemblance to Desmond made her throat clench.

"Desmond?" she asked, unable to think of the Italian to ask what she desperately needed to know.

Ezio nodded, and when her expression didn't change, he sighed, speaking slowly, to her great shock, in English.

"Desmond is...okay."

Lucy smiled, impulsively hugging the Master Assassin. Ezio looked startled, and Lucy released him quickly, blushing. "Thank you...uh..._grazie_."

Ezio led her back to the Temple, deftly helping her down the ropes they'd used earlier, and when they arrived in the Temple, Lucy could only stare at the carnage.

The Assassins grimly hauled the bodies of Abstergo guards to the pits, tossing them down into the darkness.

Lucy immediately noticed Desmond, his hands and shirt bloodied, his golden eyes tired, seated near a still body, covered with a blanket.

A few feet away, she saw the body of Warren Vidic, his face showing signs of a furious beating, his jaw completely shattered, and next to him, the body of Daniel Cross.

Desmond looked up as Ezio called softly to him, and Lucy saw Altair appear from another alcove, stepping carefully over the pools of blood on the floor.

Lucy stepped gingerly over the bodies and blood, not caring the slightest about the blood as she hugged Desmond tightly. His arms wrapped around her, and she could feel him shaking.

Silently, Altair and Ezio approached, their robes swishing.

Desmond released Lucy reluctantly, turning to his ancestors, whose faces bore the same expression as his. Ezio put a hand on Desmond's shoulder. "My condolences, _fratello mio_. _Messere_ Kyle was a good man...a worthy Assassin." Desmond nodded, his face tightening as John and Michael approached.

"Sir..." John began, and Desmond could see tears in the other man's eyes. Desmond's voice was quiet. "I'm sorry John...Michael. I know you guys and Kyle served together."

John nodded. "We served for many years, sir. First in the Army, then for the Assassins. It's tradition for..." he swallowed, and Desmond nodded. "Go on."

John sighed heavily. "His dog tags, sir. It's tradition to give them to his next of kin."

Michael came back from the still body, something silver gleaming in his hand.

Taking his place beside John, Michael said, "The Assassins were Ky's family sir...and out of all of us...he was closest to you. I think he'd want you to have these."

Michael offered Desmond the silver chain and tags. Desmond swallowed hard, bowing his head as he took the dog-tags, looping them over his own neck and tucking them under his T-shirt.

Desmond took a breath. "Thank you." He turned as his father came up to the group, followed by Shaun and Rebecca. Shaun had his arm around Rebecca, perhaps unconciously, and Rebecca leaned against the historian, her eyes red from crying.

William cleared his throat.

"Son...the...the bodies are cleared out of the way." Desmond watched his father, and William swallowed. "What...what do we do now?"

Desmond closed his eyes, taking a breath. "I read Daniel's mind before I killed him. He and Vidic didn't send any more Templars here...that team was all we should have to deal with. I still want watches posted around the clock." The Assassins nodded, and John and Michael saluted.

Juno's voice broke into their conversation then, and Desmond growled softly.

"You have accomplished nothing by this senseless display of violence! It is clear to me that in the past ten millennium your kind is every bit as brutish and primitive as when we created you!"

Desmond's gaze swung to the glowing precursor woman, and his voice was very quiet.

"You still need me to open your door for you, don't you?" Desmond moved towards the glowing woman, his gaze settled on her. "I promise you the only reason I will open your door is so I can figure out a way to kill you."

Juno snarled silently at Desmond, whose expression did not change. "I always keep a promise."

Juno took a few steps back from Desmond's vengeful countenance, and between one breath and the next, she was gone.

**A/N: And now we see what happens when Desmond flips his shit. To be fair, he had a good reason, and no, I didn't enjoy killing Kyle. **


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

The next few days were a blur in Lucy's mind. Desmond spent every second he wasn't in the Animus searching for the amulet – this time as his ancestor Ratonhnhaké:ton – directing the Assassins to gather materials from various parts of the Temple. He refused to tell anyone what he was building, but Lucy had caught him and Altair with their heads together more often than not.

Lucy crept up behind Desmond, who was for the first time in days sitting still when he wasn't in the Animus. His usual perching place was an overhang with a carved window that overlooked the entire main cavern. His head was in his hands, and she knew from the look on his face he had a headache.

"Sorry, Rebecca couldn't get her painkillers through the last security check at the airport."

Desmond looked up at her and smiled for the first time since Kyle's death. His eyes looked incredibly tired, and Lucy sighed as she seated herself on the cold stone sill beside him.

"It's okay Luce...I've gotten used to the headaches." Lucy looked at him a long moment, and then her hand stroked his face. "Des, you haven't slept or eaten in days. I won't ask what you're having us build, but you've got to rest..."

Desmond shook his head. "I can't Luce. We don't have time...for all her ranting, Juno was right about that. The more I see of Connor's story, the more I realize she's been pulling our strings this whole time." His hand clenched. "Connor's people thought she was a Goddess."

Ezio's voice joined them, as he said, "The boy had no knowledge otherwise, Desmond. He must be forgiven his ignorance, for as we all see now, it was quite deliberate."

Lucy looked up at Ezio in astonishment. His sentence had been in near-perfect English, albeit with a heavy accent. "Ezio, when did you learn English?"

The Master Assassin snorted.

"I spend a great deal of time in Desmond's head...and his thoughts are in English." Ezio's expression became sly. "It is easier to interpret some thoughts than others."

To Lucy's great shock, Desmond blushed hotly.

"Enough, Ezio."

The Italian Assassin laughed, murmuring something in Italian, and Desmond's blush deepened. He snapped something at the older man, and Lucy saw Ezio laughing heartily as he made his way back down to the platform they were building the machine on.

Lucy turned to Desmond, her gaze curious. He was still blushing furiously, and she said, "What thoughts is he talking about, Des?"

Desmond muttered something, and Lucy leaned closer.

"Hmm?"

Desmond shook his head. "Nothing, Luce." His gaze remained resolutely on the platform where Rebecca and the others were building the machine he refused to tell them about.

Lucy waggled a finger at him, her tone becoming teasing.

"It's not nothing, mister, and since I've got nothing better to do, I'll just stay here until you decide to tell me what he meant."

Desmond groaned. "I'm not telling you, Luce. Just drop it, okay?"

Lucy frowned. He was being far too serious about it for her taste. "Oh, come on Des..." she purred. "What if I give you something for the information?"

Desmond's gaze turned to her, and she leaned in, kissing him.

She felt him stiffen a little, and she nudged the scarred lips with her tongue. After a moment, he allowed her to deepen the kiss, and when she released him, need was evident in his eyes. Grief for Kyle warred with worry and stress, but at her touch, those emotions melted, leaving only a primal hunger.

Desmond glanced down at the machine once more before he allowed Lucy to lead him to the secluded upper levels, where they made love in the glowing light of the Temple's glyphs.

* * *

William frowned at the elaborate schematic. Desmond was once more in the Animus, making progress towards finding the key as Connor, so he couldn't ask him what he was supposed to do next. He looked at Rebecca as she moved past with a pile of circuit boards.

"Uh...Rebecca?"

Rebecca stopped, her dark eyes still red from lack of sleep and crying. It was well-known among the Assassins that she and Shaun often spent nights in the same sleeping-space, but he wasn't in any position to deny any of them any comfort they might seek in each others' arms.

Kyle's death had affected all of them deeply. The Assassins who took watch were deadly serious about their duties, and John and Michael flat out refused to let anyone else guard Desmond while he lay in the Animus.

Lucy tried to help where she could, being restricted by Rebecca and William himself when they noticed her beginning to tire. When she'd protested, William had reminded her somewhat harshly, "Lucy, you're carrying the next in Desmond's line. Have more care for yourself and the baby."

He'd sworn Rebecca was going to hit him when she'd overheard until he'd noticed her eyes widen in fear and she'd turned away in a hurry.

William had turned to face a very angry Desmond, his expression set in stone. "Son, I - " he'd tried to say, and Desmond cut him off, his voice low.

"Dad, I know you're worried about Luce pushing herself too much. But if I ever hear you use that tone of voice with Lucy again, we're going to have...problems. Am I clear?" William had swallowed hard, nodding. "Yes, Desmond."

Desmond had turned and stalked towards the Animus, and William had breathed a soft sigh of relief.

"Bill?"

Rebecca's voice brought him back to the present, and he shook himself. "Sorry, Rebecca...preoccupied, I guess."

Rebecca's look was sympathetic as she nodded. "We all are." She smiled a little sadly. "Des drives us harder than you ever used to, Bill." William nodded. "He's got a good reason, if he's right about the day this disaster is supposed to happen. I wish he'd tell us what we're building."

Rebecca looked around covertly, before saying, "I think it's some kind of amplifier. For what I'm not sure, but the tech is amazing...he must be building it from plans he absorbed from the Apples. Some of it we don't have equivalents to – we're improvising – and the amount of energy that's going to be required to power this thing is in the magnitude of what it'd take to collapse a star."

William frowned. "An amplifier? What could he possibly need that for? What would it amplify?" Rebecca shook her head. "I don't know, and he and Altair aren't telling. I suppose we'll find out when it's finished."

The weeks passed all too quickly, the machine nearing completion. As the weeks passed, Desmond's temper frayed noticeably around the edges at any delay, but he did his best to remain civil to the Assassins who worked tirelessly as he chased clues in the Animus. He'd been in two solid days now, refusing to be removed from it as he was close to the end of Connor's storyline.

Desmond sat up from the Animus, and his voice woke everyone from their restless sleep.

"I know where the amulet is."

William had been the first to speak.

"Then let's go."

**A/N: I don't actually cover much from Connor's perspective. While I consider him an intriguing character, nothing that happens in his story really relates to Desmond's other than the finding of the amulet, which is almost an after-thought near the end of the game. **

**I did write a Connor-centric story I took down (it had lemons galore, and while it was well-received, it violated the usage guidelines of FF) If you would like a copy, please PM me your e-mail and I'll send a copy, much as I did for the unedited versions of Chapter 5.**

**This will likely be the last chapter for a couple days since I skipped working ahead on homework to write these. More to come, keep reading and reviewing! **


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Desmond helped Lucy into the passenger seat of the Assassins' van. She was clearly tired from the hike to the road, her breathing faster than normal.

"Luce?" Desmond's voice was soft. Lucy turned tired blue eyes to him and smiled. "I know what you're thinking, Des, and I'm really okay..."

Desmond frowned. "I can tell how tired you are. I know you haven't been sleeping well, none of us have but..."

He laid a gentle hand on her slightly-swollen belly.

"Try to rest. It's about 5 hours to the homestead."

Lucy nodded as he slid into the driver's seat. William sat in the back, his expression unreadable as Desmond started the van.

"Are you sure you know how to get to the homestead, Desmond?" William was looking over a map, and Desmond sighed.

"No Dad, I thought I'd drive us around randomly."

William scowled.

"Desmond, are you even capable of answering a question seriously?"

Desmond's jaw tightened. "Sure, Dad. Ask me something that doesn't assume I'm an idiot and I'll be happy to give you a serious answer."

William sighed. "What are you having us build?"

Desmond didn't look away from the road as he said, "You'll find out soon."

William growled in frustration. "Desmond, it's very frustrating to be kept in the dark like this, why can't you just tell me what we're doing?"

Desmond's voice was soft as he replied, "Sucks, doesn't it?"

William went still, and then his voice rose a little in anger. "I kept things from you to keep you safe, Desmond!"

Desmond didn't look back at him as he entered the freeway. "Yeah, funny how that works, eh Dad? What if I told you I wasn't telling you what we're building to keep you and the others safe? How's it feel to have the shoe on the other foot? What you're feeling right now has been my entire life up to a few months ago."

William scowled, and Lucy spoke up from the front seat. "Des...you never did talk much about your life before you were kidnapped...I'd like to hear about it."

Desmond sighed. "There's not much to tell." Lucy frowned. "Oh come on, you worked at a bar, I'm sure you've got a good story or two." She fluttered her eyelashes at him, giving him Bambi eyes.

"Please? Just one story?"

Desmond groaned. "I swear, if our kid is a girl and you teach her that, I'll..." Lucy laughed. "Des, if the baby's a girl, mark my words, she'll figure it out on her own."

Desmond took a breath. "Okay...well, after I ran away from the Farm, I got picked up by some girls headed to the East Coast. I wandered around with them awhile, and someone told me if I had nothing to lose to go to New York."

His eyes remained on the road as the sun began to set.

"I got dropped off near Times Square. I had nothing but the clothes on my back and a little money the girls had given me. I spent the first couple nights there at a homeless shelter. I wandered farther and farther away from the homeless shelter, and one night I got lost."

Desmond's expression tightened. "There was a local gang around, and they apparently thought I looked like an easy mark. I was in better shape than most of them, so I ran. I managed to lose most of them, but the one guy who'd managed to keep up had a knife."

Desmond's voice went soft, becoming a growl.

"He cornered me in an alley. Told me I was too pretty to be a guy and pinned me up against a wall, pulling the knife. I thought I was going to die. I managed to kick him in the junk, and he dropped me, but when he did the knife came up across my face."

Lucy gasped, her hand going to her own mouth.

"That must have hurt."

Desmond nodded. "I didn't feel anything at the time. He managed to get up and started to come after me, screaming how he was gonna..." Desmond's skin flushed. "Never mind. Anyway, I ran."

"I started to get tired, so I ducked into the first door I saw. As it turned out, that door was the back of the kitchen at Bad Weather." Desmond smiled grimly. "I scared the shit out of Christine. She saw the cut on my face and heard the gang banger screaming cuss words outside and guessed why I'd ducked in there. She hid me until the guy left." Desmond frowned. "The guy wrecked the place looking for me."

Lucy whistled. "Where'd she hide you?"

Desmond chuckled. "She hid me in the women's bathroom."

William's voice held a note of fascination as he said, "Go on, son. What happened next?"

"When I got out of the bathroom, Christine was looking around at the dining area. The guy had roughed her up a little, but she wasn't seriously hurt. I thanked her for helping me and apologized for the mess." Desmond sighed. "She looked me over and said, 'Well, except for that cut on your mouth, you're kinda cute, kid. What's your name?'"

Desmond swallowed. "I told her my name was Desmond. I told her I'd run away from home – called the Farm a cult compound. She didn't say anything for awhile, and then she told me to sit down while she got a first aid kit."

Lucy and William were both leaning forward, enraptured with Desmond's story. "So she treated your cut...and then what?" Lucy said, and Desmond smiled a little at her eagerness.

"She asked if I needed a job...I told her I supposed I did, since I didn't have any money. 'Good.' She'd said, 'You can start by cleaning up this mess.'" Desmond laughed a little. "She gave me some food and told me I could sleep in the back till I could afford a place of my own."

Desmond eyes glowed softly in the dim light from the van's consoles.

"It took me two years to save enough to get the apartment. For that two years, I slept in the back at the bar, washed my clothes in the sink and took showers at a shelter. I ate leftovers in the kitchen or at the shelters. As I got better at tending bar, I started bringing in more money for Christine."

His jaw tightened. "I brought in a lot more once Christine realized that if I tended bar, women would stay longer to flirt with me. I didn't really like tending bar on those nights, but Christine insisted, and I owed her. As the years passed, I earned enough to get my motorcycle and the tattoo and a few more clothes. Before Abstergo kidnapped me, I was close to having enough money for a better place."

William frowned.

"Why didn't you find a better job Desmond?"

Desmond growled, frustrated.

"Where could I have gone Dad? Other than Christine, I didn't know anyone else. I'm sure one of the many women who flirted with me at the bar would've loved to take me in, but a lot of them were there to try and recruit me for..." Desmond blushed, saying lowly, "Apparently male escorts make amazing amounts of money."

William went quiet. "Tell me you didn't."

Desmond shook his head. "When Christine heard them propositioning me, she made them leave the bar. After the shift was over, I asked her what they'd meant, and she was pretty horrified to learn that I had absolutely no idea what they meant when they talked about 'providing services.'"

William shook his head. "God, Desmond I meant to have that talk with you but..."

Desmond sighed. "Let's not even go there. Suffice it to say, I got a crash course in the seedy underworld of New York. Christine warned me from then on who the known pimps were, and who was associated with what gang. She knew a lot about it, and I found out later it was because she'd been homeless and had been pimped out herself when she was about my age."

Desmond looked a little sad. "That's why she took me in...partially to protect me from that life, and I never got a chance to thank her. I don't even know if she's okay, or if the Abstergo goons who grabbed me..." Lucy squeezed his hand reassuringly. "They wouldn't have killed her, Des. Thier orders were to grab you and get out..." She looked a little sad herself. "It was standing orders for retrieving...a subject."

Desmond frowned. "Anyway...after that, you guys pretty much know the rest. I worked the bar every night till 3 AM, cleaned and closed up and went home around 4...till the morning I left the bar and I was grabbed near Washington Park by Abstergo's goons."

The fuel meter on the van dinged insistently, and Desmond silently pulled off to a gas station, stretching while the van filled. Lucy grabbed some snacks from inside and William was seated in the driver's seat as Desmond returned to it. "I'll drive son. I know you haven't slept very much, and a nap would do the both of you good. We're about three hours from Rockport."

Desmond nodded, and Lucy joined him as he curled up on the bench, thankful the pillow and blanket he'd casually taken from the hotel were still in the back. Desmond lay on his side, one arm wrapped around Lucy. She was warm and her hair smelled of her familiar shampoo. One of these days, he would remember to ask her about it.

Desmond's eyes drifted closed, and right before they did, his father said softly, "I never thought about how hard it must have been for you. I'm sorry, Desmond." Desmond yawned, his voice sleepy as he replied, "Thanks, Dad."

**A/N: It always irritated me that William dismissed Desmond's life before Abstergo and treated him like a failure for it. From the snippets you hear of Desmond's background during the Black Room sequences in AC: R, the guy had a pretty hard life. **

**For him to manage to build a life for himself that didn't involve selling himself or drugs is an accomplishment many people from better circumstances don't always avoid. I was surprised with as careful as the Ubisoft folks are about respecting religions and being accurate about history that they were so callous about their main characters' back story. **

**Of course, a lot of my offense at their treatment of Desmond's back story comes from the fact that I also built a life for myself from nothing, at about the same age. I had more resources than Desmond did, but it was still hard, and it would have been very easy to stop doing the right thing. **


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

The dirt that covered the graves was frozen about a foot down. Desmond grunted as he and William lifted shovelfuls of frozen dirt nodules from over the coffins. Lucy kept a lookout, since what they were doing was technically illegal – trespassing on private property and violating a grave.

If they didn't reach the amulet soon, Desmond mused silently, he'd have to add abuse of a corpse to his mental list of charges.

Desmond's shovel hit something solid, and he stopped digging. Lifting the shovel free, he sifted through the dirt within it and to his relief found the rotted leather string and the amulet, which glowed with a soft green light. He sighed, the cold wind whipping over him feeling delicious over his sweaty skin.

"Got it."

Lucy nodded. "Now we just have to get the graves filled back in before anyone notices we're here."

Desmond suppressed his groan. He was tired, but at the same time it definitely was not right to leave his distant ancestor's namesake uncovered...he sighed heavily, beginning to shovel dirt back over the coffin.

* * *

By the time Desmond and William made it back to the van, it was late morning. Desmond leaned back against the bench with a sigh. Lucy came up beside him and her hands massaged his shoulders gently.

"You did a good thing re-covering Connor, Des." Desmond grunted. "He's dead and won't appreciate it, but it didn't seem right, anyway. We should head back to the Temple."

Lucy nodded. "We should stop and grab something to eat...everyone's tired and hungry."

Desmond nodded. "I could eat a horse at the moment...hooves and all."

Lucy laughed. "I'll drive, since I haven't spent the morning violating graves." Desmond and Lucy traded spaces, William electing to nap on the bench they'd shared the previous night.

Desmond had to admit he definitely felt better after a cheeseburger and caffeine. He sat in the passenger seat, drowsing when Lucy spoke quietly, "Des?"

"Hmm?"

Lucy swallowed. "Uh...what are your thoughts on weddings?"

Desmond roused from his doze, and his gaze was contemplative.

"I don't know, I haven't been to many. The last one I was at was boring and awkward...I didn't know anyone other than the groom – Jase used to trade shifts with me at the bar."

Lucy sighed. "I'm not a fan of them myself." Desmond gave her a skeptical look, one dark brow raised. "If you're not, you're one of the only women I've ever met who doesn't go nuts over the idea."

Lucy laughed softly.

"Every wedding I've been at has involved guests getting too drunk and doing amazingly stupid stuff."

Desmond grinned. "Aw, c'mon Luce...a wedding is no fun without at least one fight." Lucy frowned.

"Can you imagine a wedding full of Assassins, all armed? It wouldn't be a brawl, we'd have guests leaving in body bags." Desmond snickered, and then they both laughed. William roused a little from the back. "What's so funny?" Lucy shook her head. "Nothing William, sorry we woke you."

William muttered something as he turned over and went back to sleep.

They went silent for a few more minutes, and then Lucy said, "Des...I don't want a huge wedding. Not that we could anyway, without attracting tons of attention...but there's something you ought to know...about my parents."

Desmond watched her hands tighten on the steering wheel, and he covered one hand with his. "Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll work it out." Lucy sighed. "My parents are...fairly traditional. They might be offended by the fact I'm already expecting before..."

Desmond frowned. "Have you told them?"

Lucy flushed. "I...I haven't talked to them since I was about 17, Des. When I ran away from the Assassins, they disowned me. My mother and father are very...strong believers in the Creed, and they felt that in running away, I'd betrayed it." She looked a little sad then. "I suppose in a way I did betray it..."

Desmond shook his head. "No one's perfect Luce. Even Altair broke the Creed at one point in his career." Desmond sighed. "Don't worry about it, Luce...let's get past saving the world first, okay?"

Lucy grimaced. "No pressure or anything."

Desmond grinned. "None at all. I think I've got a bridge around here somewhere..."

Lucy laughed, shaking her head. "Des, that was..." Desmond finished for her. "A terrible joke, I know. Why else do you think I tell them?"

They both laughed until they woke William up once more.

* * *

The others were waiting for them as they descended into the Temple, and Desmond's expression went still upon seeing the still forms on the floor of the Temple, now wrapped in body bags. Kyle's lay apart from the two Templars, and John rose from his position beside it, stretching.

"Welcome back sir, ma'am." John greeted them politely. "You'll be interested to know that Her Celestial Bitchiness has been harassing us the entire time you've been gone." Michael came up beside John, adding, "She disappeared the second you entered the Temple sir...seems you made an impression on her with the whole promising to kill her thing."

Desmond growled.

"About that. I have the key." John nodded. "Shall we go, sir?" Desmond shook his head. "There's a few other things we need, first."

Desmond went towards the machine they'd spent the past few weeks building. He stopped near it and raised his hand. There was a flash of light and Altair appeared.

He glanced around as he usually did, nodding at Desmond and the others as he inspected their handiwork. "Very well done, my brethren. It is as I envisioned." He looked seriously at them. "We must not use this until the time is exactly right. It will only work once...the...energy it requires is too great for anything else."

Altair looked at Desmond. "I am unaware of time when we share your mind, Desmond. Is the day at hand?"

Desmond shook his head. "If I'm right about the day, we have..." He checked his cell phone. "Two days." Altair nodded. "It is enough time. Desmond, we will require something that is in the final chamber of this part of the Temple...the chamber that resides behind the door whose key you hold."

Desmond nodded. "Juno's door."

As if summoned by his use of her name, Juno appeared.

"Yes, cipher. Come and open my door...and face your end."

Desmond looked at her, his gaze hard. "We'll see about that."

Desmond went up to the glowing blue force field, inserting the amulet into the portal that had apparently been designed for it. He and the others were girded for battle, and Lucy was also armed for once.

The force field disappeared, and the group of Assassins moved carefully down the long pathway that lay behind it. Altair and Ezio ghosted in front of the group, Desmond immediately behind them, and John, Michael and William surrounded Lucy.

The pathway lead up to a raised pedestal, and in front of the pedestal was an orb seated on a pillar. It was a little above waist height on Desmond, and it glowed softly. The room was empty, and Desmond frowned, approaching the orb.

He stretched a hand towards it, and his hand froze as Altair said quietly, "Stay your hand, Desmond."

Desmond looked confused, and Altair carefully folded the younger man's hand in his, pushing it back to his side.

Juno's voice growled from in front of them as she appeared. "You have interfered with my plans for too long, old man." Altair looked calmly at her. "Your plans are to the detriment of the world. You seek to enslave the world and her people."

Juno frowned, her gaze becoming stern. "How ignorant you are. How primitive, brutish and violent. You all were bred to be ruled! You expect it, require it, and that is the natural order of things!"

Desmond frowned.

"It's not a natural order, Juno. The Apple showed me what your society was like. Enslavement of an entire species is not natural. If you wanted us to be docile, your kind would have been better off leaving us alone."

Juno snarled. "I knew that, but others including my husband disagreed. When we sought solutions to save this world, he was one of the first to volunteer for experiments using the machines...machines like the one you use to follow your ancestors. I insisted he use a slave, and they all went mad or expired."

She looked Desmond over, her expression contemptuous.

"It is irony indeed that you, born of our loins and those of our betrayers, are the only one able to use the machines without repercussions." Her expression was bitter as she said, "My husband...my Aita, I killed him when he became a slave to the machine so much that he could no longer leave it."

Desmond's voice was quiet as he said, "I'm not immune to it either. I handle it better, but I'm not immune. I don't think anyone is." Juno looked at him. "You have come here too early. That was not my intention." Her gaze shifted to Lucy, who stood ready, her blue eyes hard.

"You...I see you clearly now, woman born of Eve. The child you carry is an abomination."

Desmond stepped back, protectively in front of Lucy.

Juno snarled at Desmond. "You..of all your bloodline since the beginning, you were the first to actively rebel. I suppose I should expect nothing less from a son of Adam." Her gaze went to Altair and Ezio, who stood ready, tensed to strike.

"Now you are all here to do what? It is too soon...your pitiful device is but a shadow of the grandeur of ours. You built it based on plans from our refuse...the refuse you have fought over for millenia. Your machine like yourselves is a pitiful, primitive shadow of what once was."

She stood straighter, and it was then that Desmond noticed she did not leave the platform. He glanced at Altair, and the elder Assassin nodded. Juno didn't leave the pedestal because something kept her there.

Desmond stepped forward, towards the pedestal and orb. Juno watched him as he did so, hope rising in her expression as his hand hovered over it. To her shock, Altair and Ezio joined hands with Desmond, raising their hands over the orb. The three Assassins began to glow, and Juno's expression twisted in horror.

"What...what are you doing?" she said, and Desmond smiled grimly as his eyes flared golden.

"Keeping a promise."

There was a vibration in the air, as if a bell had been struck, and golden light shot from each of the three Assassins. When the light faded, Juno knelt on the platform. She blinked, staring at herself, and then her face twisted in horror.

"What have you done?" she cried, and now her voice had lost the choral quality. Desmond could smell her as he approached. She smelled of a strangely spicy perfume, and his hand picked her up, hauling her to her feet.

She struggled but was no match for Desmond's strength. She was surprisingly light for her height, and her nails scraped ineffectually against Desmond's forearms.

"Let me go!" she cried. "Barbarian!"

Desmond's voice was in her ear then, speaking softly as if to a lover.

"You played us for millenia, you bitch. You killed and manipulated and schemed. We paid the price every time. I think it's time we returned the favor."

Juno stiffened as Desmond's hidden blade entered her chest, her eyes wide with pain for a moment before she slumped in his arms.

Desmond laid Juno's frail body onto the pedestal, cleaning his blade on her robes before he sheathed it.

Another voice broke into the silence that followed, filled with horror.

"What have you done?!"

Minerva appeared, staring down at Juno's body with shocked terror. "You...you..." Desmond's voice was very quiet as he spoke next, "We took care of a problem your people left us." Minerva stared at Desmond, then back down at Juno.

"How did you...?"

Desmond smiled. "That would be telling. You have two choices. You can help us, or I will bring you here and you can join her. You're every bit as guilty of manipulating us as she was."

Minerva considered Desmond's words, and then sighed.

"What do you require?"

Desmond nodded. "I've got a list."

**A/N: The actual finale is coming up. **


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Everything was done.

Minerva had specifically had members of their party unrelated to Desmond run a bundle of wires from the pedestal that had opened Juno's door to their own amplifier.

She had explained that the lock was designed that it could only be activated by someone with First Civilization DNA. What she hadn't realized until they'd carefully disassembled it was that Juno had modified it – turning it into a trigger for the defense device she'd supposedly been testing.

The result of her tampering had been that in order to trigger the defense device, the wielder would have been forced to free her from her confinement. The modifications were ingenious, and Minerva had spent some time after discovering them muttering words Desmond could only presume were curses in her native tongue.

Desmond crouched on his usual perch, looking down at the amplifier they'd spent so many weeks building.

With Minerva's help, they'd perfected it. Despite Juno's insistence to the opposite, Minerva had been grudgingly impressed by their improvisations. Now she drifted around the machine, actually talking with Rebecca, who had been apprehensive at first but who now chatted almost familiarly with the Precursor woman.

"Des?"

Lucy's voice came from behind him, and he glanced back at her.

"More headaches?" Her hand touched his face, and he leaned into it, closing his eyes wearily.

"No. I just can't believe we're done...ahead of schedule. We've got today before the prediction is supposed to happen...now there's nothing to do but wait...and when the time comes, hope all this wasn't for nothing."

Desmond heard the swish of robes, and the familiar smell of sandalwood told him it was Altair who approached, his soft leather boots silent on the cold stone floors. "Even if we fail, none of this will have been for nothing, Desmond."

Desmond turned to face the elder Assassin.

Altair extended a hand.

"Come. If these are our final hours, they are best spent with those we love."

* * *

Desmond had to admit that watching a movie took on an entirely new fascination when watching Altair and Ezio's reactions. Rebecca had stashed several movies at some point in their travels, and they'd all agreed by mutual consent that comedies were a good choice.

John quietly translated for Altair and the other Syrian Assassins; and Altair actually laughed at a few of the jokes. Ezio now understood enough English to watch the movies without a translator. Since there weren't enough chairs for everyone to sit comfortably, Rebecca had resorted to the simple expedient of putting the monitor on a crate and they sat around it on sleeping bags.

Even Minerva drifted on the outside edges of the group, and occasionally, Desmond would see a slight smile on her face as she watched the group.

Lucy drowsed against him, and he absently held her close, his thoughts far from the movie he watched.

Desmond looked down at Lucy. She'd fallen asleep now, and he smiled, brushing her hair back from her face. He rose to his feet, zipping her into the sleeping bag they'd sat on, and Ezio glanced at him as he stepped out of the group. He made a show of stretching, and Ezio's gaze went back to the movie.

Desmond sighed as he walked around the edges of the main platform. Worries circled around in his head, an endless march of what ifs. The Apple had provided him the information to build the machine...and it had also provided an extensive list of things that could go wrong.

Minerva's voice spoke from behind him as he stood near the edge of the platform.

"You are worried."

The dark-haired Assassin nodded. "Of course I am. We don't exactly have time or a way to test this thing, and everything's riding on it working right the first time."

Minerva's voice came to him again. "The world turns in an endless cycle, cipher. Should you fail in your endeavor, the world will survive, even if your kind does not." Desmond shook his head. "You mean like your kind?" He turned to face the Precursor woman, who was frowning.

"My people have always been long-lived. As a result, there were few births...and as time went on, there were fewer and fewer new children born. We did not have the numbers to complete our great work, and so we turned to the resources of this place."

Minerva's eyes traced over him, her gaze contemplative.

"There were many who disagreed with our experiments on the primitives of this world. Juno was among them. When we perfected your race, we restricted your senses to five...the five you are familiar with, and kept the sixth for ourselves. In our arrogance, we thought that enough to prevent mankind's rise...the natural course all evolution takes."

A trace of an ironic smile was on her face before her expression went blank again.

"We were wrong. We had underestimated the power of your will, the inexorable drive of instinct that had not fully been bred out of your kind."

Minerva turned from him, looking at the Temple.

"Your ancestors were primal in the purest sense. Nothing mattered to them but food and mating. They were stronger than us by many magnitudes, so as better to perform the physical labor we were no longer capable of. We found them difficult to direct as a group – left to their own leadership, it was invariably the strongest and most vicious among them who ruled the others. Thus, the devices you call Apples of Eden were created, so that a minder might lend control to their slaves and some semblance of rational thought."

Minerva turned back to him, and her expression became angry.

"It was then that some of our best breeders came upon a way to better control our workforce...they would combine the strongest of our slaves with a certain amount of our own essence...it was hoped our essence and a diluted sixth sense would allow your kind to learn control on their own – much as we had, long ago."

Desmond seated himself on a broken piece of wall, his golden gaze fixed on the Precursor woman.

"So you...created hybrids?"

Minerva nodded.

"Some few of our females were impregnated with the seed of human males...and some females of your kind were impregnated with the seed of our males."

Minerva frowned.

"There were many...mistakes. We discovered that our females were too frail to bear the hybrid young – all of those born from our loins perished. Those born of human females survived. Of the first two to survive were a male and a female...born of different lines, they were named Adam and Eve."

Desmond's gaze narrowed. "Juno called me...a 'son of Adam.' So...Adam was my ancestor?" His eyes widened in realization as he remembered what Juno had called Lucy. "Juno said Lucy was a 'woman born of Eve' … does that mean Lucy is Eve's descendant?"

Minerva nodded. "Since the time of the first of your kind, your bloodlines had not intersected..until now." She frowned, her gaze going back to the group of Assassins, whose laughter echoed in the cavern. Lucy slept on in the center of the group, and Desmond tensed as Minerva's gaze narrowed.

"That is why Juno called the child your mate carries an abomination. Other than yourself, his concentration of our essence is perhaps the highest among your kind ever to exist. He has conceived from two lines strong in our essence, whereas you and she only carry one line each. You yourself were bred from amongst the strongest of your line."

Desmond's gaze narrowed.

"What do you mean, bred?"

Minerva looked at him, one brow raised.

"Over the millenia, your bloodlines diluted the further they deviated from the original. Juno manipulated many in your bloodline to mate in such a way that the essence of the bloodline would be restored. It took many centuries, but as you can see from your own abilities and those of your ancestors, your own power is greatly amplified. Your son's will be even more so than your own."

Desmond stared at her. "You mean...Juno...she _bred_ me?" Minerva nodded. "It was her intention that you appear here at the appropriate time to make a choice...what she did not anticipate was the strength of your will to resist the compulsion to kill your mate. She knew that if the woman lived, she would both betray you and potentially lose the Apple."

Desmond's jaw tightened at the reminder of Lucy's betrayal.

"That wasn't all, was it? She said, 'there is another who will accompany you through the gate. She lies not in our sight.'"

Minerva nodded once more. "Your memory is commendable, cipher."

"The other she spoke of was a descendant of Eve."

Desmond's gaze narrowed. "Lucy's a descendant of Eve...if Juno meant for me to kill her, then how could she accompany me through the gate?"

Minerva's gaze was steady as Desmond thought about the implications of his own question, and then his eyes widened.

"She meant for me to die here," he whispered in horror. "The...the modifications she made..."

Minerva nodded. "Had you touched the device, it would have overloaded the lock on her confinement, activated the defense device and killed you. Though your constitution is stronger than ours, no one being can channel that kind of power and survive."

Desmond sat still, completely thunderstruck. Another thought hit him, and he said, "If that's true...that no one being can channel that much energy and survive...how am I gonna use the amplifier?"

Minerva shrugged.

"That is, as they say in your crude language, your fucking problem."

Desmond looked up at her in shock, but she merely smiled grimly at him and disappeared.

Desmond sat there in silence a moment before Rebecca called, "Hey Des, we're gonna make popcorn! Want some?"

Shaun's voice echoed after her. "Why on Earth do you have a popcorn kit in there anyway? How are you going to heat it?"

Rebecca's voice was irritated. "Oh, quit worrying about details Shaun. There's plenty of things we can use...c'mon Des!"

Desmond laughed as he got up, heading back to the group, and as they all turned to welcome him back for another movie, Desmond understood what he needed to do.

**A/N: No, this isn't the finale, but I figured my unique version of events needed some explaining. Mostly because the games didn't explain any of it, so all we have is what we can infer from things we've seen. **

**The whole 'Lucy is a daughter of Eve' thing is my take on it – honestly it made more sense in my time line, since Ubisoft obviously went another direction with a heretofore-unknown line of Assassins apparently related to Eve. I didn't play Liberation – I don't own a Vita – though I did see the ending video to get the plot line.**

**Also, the DIA noodle incident mentioned in the AC games by the Templars didn't happen in my time line. I realized that was what Ubisoft said happened to Altair's Apple after I'd already written 30+ chapters...though I'm really curious to know how they found it in the first place, since 16 didn't – as far as I know – get far enough in Altair's memories to know where he hid it. **

**They apparently went after Desmond in the first place for him to find a replacement for the Apple destroyed in that incident, but they don't note how it was destroyed or even if it is for sure...y'know what, I'm just not going to think about it any more. **

**It's giving me a headache, and my muse hates headaches she doesn't personally inflict with her plot-bunny rod of doom.**

**Edit: Thanks to Wolfinson once again for catching a name transpose. **

**Onward!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

**12/20/2012 **

**23:45**

Desmond roused at the sound of the alarm he'd set several hours earlier. He saw the others getting up as well, and he gently shook Lucy. Out of all of them, she seemed to be the only one able to sleep. "Luce, wake up. It's time to use the amplifier."

In an instant, Lucy was awake, and Desmond put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay Luce, you didn't miss anything."

Lucy frowned, kissing him.

"I don't know, if it's the end of the world, maybe it might be better to sleep through it?"

Desmond smiled. "Sorry Luce...something tells me it's important you're involved when we use the device."

Lucy blinked. "When _we_ use the device?" she said. "I thought it was just you?"

Desmond sighed. "I'll explain to everyone. We've got to get moving, it's going to start in about 15 minutes."

They surrounded the machine, and Desmond looked at everyone, his gaze serious. "Okay guys...we don't have much time for me to explain, so I won't. What I need is for everyone to follow my directions to the letter...no delays, no hesitation."

Everyone nodded assent, and Desmond sighed.

"We're going to form a circle around the amplifier. Everyone will hold hands with the person on the left, and Lucy, myself, Altair and Ezio will be in the middle with links to the outer circle."

They quickly arranged themselves, and Desmond stood before the orb in the center of their own device, wired back to the one in Juno's room.

Desmond, Lucy and the two ancestral Assassins joined hands, each of them extending a hand silently over the orb without touching it. As the minutes passed, Desmond said, "When I give the signal, we'll put our hands on the orb, and with any luck, the amplifier will work. I'll send the command to Juno's pedestal, and that should turn on the defense grid."

The minutes passed agonizingly slow, and as they passed, they felt rumbles in the ground beneath their feet. Desmond's voice was almost inhumanly calm.

"Stay steady. It's almost time."

The rumbling increased, and William's voice came from the outside of the circle.

"Desmond..."

Desmond ground his teeth together. "Not now, Dad."

Desmond wasn't sure how he knew when the moment was, but he knew the instant had come when an eerie light began to filter into the Temple from outside.

"Now!"

He touched the orb at the same time as the others, and the vibration of it froze him in place as golden light wreathed all of them. The moment slowed, and Desmond felt a massive amount of energy drain from the assembled team. The machine lit slowly, and Desmond felt his mind expand as it powered up.

Desmond's thoughts were cast out beyond the Temple, and suddenly he was everywhere at once. He saw the flare in slow motion as it whipped towards their glittering blue world – their home.

He reached forth with the power of the Apple, and as he did so he saw billions of eyes turn towards the skies as one, their heads haloed in gold. One glorious moment of harmony was achieved.

**12/21/2012**

**00:07 **

Desmond spoke, and the world obeyed.

"_Protect our home."_

The burst of energy was incredible. Desmond saw from his otherworldly perch as a greenish shield shot through with gold wreathed their world, and at the instant the deadly fires from heaven would have lashed the surface, it dissipated instead against the combined will of mankind.

As the solar flare faded, so too did the shield, and Desmond's other sight faded with it. He came back to himself, seemingly constrained in the vessel of flesh that was his body for an instant before he was himself again.

He opened his eyes and saw the light in the orb under his hand fade, and blackness crawled at the edge of his vision. Beside him he saw Lucy, her blue eyes blank, her body falling slowly to the floor. He saw the others fall, one by one, and as the last of the light faded, he joined them.

Minerva appeared a scant moment later, surveying the unconscious Assassins clinically. A small smile graced her face as she spoke to the still form of Desmond.

"You have played your part well."

She disappeared, and the Temple was utterly silent.

* * *

Desmond was unaware of time as he floated in a seemingly endless sea of sensation. Hands held his, keeping him from drowning, and he dimly heard voices calling him.

"Desmond!"

One voice separated from the others, and this one tore at his heart.

"Des, please wake up!"

It took all the effort he had to open his eyes, and he blinked up a moment later at faces crowded over his. Lucy's tears were warm on his face as she threw herself onto him, sobbing in relief.

His arm came up to cradle her, gently. "Hey, take it easy Luce, my chest is still a little tender from Syria..."

To his surprise, Altair and Ezio were grinning at him, and he felt none of the usual energy drain he had been accustomed to in their presence.

He sat up slowly, supported by his team.

"Anyone get a look outside yet?" he asked, and a voice came from the entrance.

"_Looks all clear, sir."_

Desmond's head whipped around at the familiar voice, and he saw Kyle smile at him before sunlight streamed in the entrance of the Temple and he was gone.

Desmond blinked, not sure if what he'd seen was real. Altair's hand on his shoulder roused him from his shock.

"He is at peace, Desmond. Let him go."

Desmond nodded, his gaze shifting to the one that was a mirror of his own.

He got to his feet, looking around. Everything in the Temple was dark. The place was utterly devoid of energy, and even the equipment they'd brought with them was dead.

Lucy shivered, leaning against Desmond. "Can we get out of here, please?"

Desmond nodded. "Pack up what you can and let's get out of here." He grinned a little. "I don't know about the rest of you, but breakfast sounds like a great idea."

**A/N: Yes, there's an epilogue. **


	36. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It was raining, but the rain meant nothing to the hooded procession that made people stop and stare as they entered the cemetery. A man clad in robes of the purest white with a compass in red on the back of the hood led the group with measured steps, and they carried a casket covered with a flag bearing the same symbol.

The groundskeeper of the cemetery let them in without a word, his head bowed. A man watching as he left his own service muttered, "Some kind of cult thing, I guess..." His wife watched the group curiously. "Geez...with a procession like that, whoever died must have been someone important."

The Assassins were silent as they carried their fallen brother through the cemetery, and everyone gave the silent group a wide berth.

They approached the grave site, and the groundskeeper bowed to them again as they approached.

"Mentor. It's an honor to have you here, despite the sad occasion."

Desmond nodded beneath his hood.

"Thank you for arranging this for us, brother. It means a lot."

Desmond stepped aside, and Altair, Ezio, John and Michael stepped forward with the casket, setting it carefully on the ropes stretched over the grave site and standing aside.

Desmond sighed, and his voice was soft.

"I didn't know Kyle for very long...but almost from the moment I met him, he was like the older brother I always wished I'd had." Desmond grinned a little at his father, who eyed him beneath his own hood.

"I'm sure if I'd had a brother like Kyle, my Dad would've died of a heart attack a few times over from the results of our pranks." The assemblage laughed quietly.

"He died an Assassin, defending his brethren during a very tense time...and there was never a moment I doubted that he regretted giving his life to protecting us." Desmond looked down for a moment, and when he raised his head again, his golden eyes were wet with tears.

"I'll miss him. As a brother, as a friend." He turned, placing one hand on the casket for a moment and bowing his head before he turned away and the others strode past.

When the procession was finished, the pallbearers stepped forward once more, lowering the casket into its final resting place. Desmond and the others picked up shovels that had been left by the groundskeeper, covering the casket.

When they had finished, Lucy came up to them. She was also dressed in formal robes, and her blue eyes were sad. She smiled a little and said, "Well, at least you only had to move that much dirt one time, eh?"

Desmond blinked at her in shock, grinning despite himself. "Lucy that's a terrible joke..." Lucy smiled at him, some light coming back to her eyes.

"I know. Why else do you think I tell 'em?"

Then they did laugh, and the others joined them.

* * *

**7/25/2013**

**06:46**

"Wearing a hole in the floor won't help anything son."

William's voice was reassuring, but Desmond was having none of it. He stopped pacing, absently twisting his wedding band around his left ring finger. He still wasn't used to wearing it, though they'd been married in a small ceremony shortly after Kyle's funeral.

Ezio's hand closed over his.

The two ancestral Assassins were still bound to him, but they were now able to manifest of their own will without Desmond having to call them.

"It will take longer for your to become accustomed to it if you succeed in cutting yourself with it, _fratello mio_."

Desmond growled, but did his best to still himself.

That all evaporated as he heard Lucy's cry from the adjoining room. The labor had gone normally enough, and then the doctor had muttered something about complications and ordered him out of the room. It had taken all of the combined Assassins' strength to drag the unwilling Desmond into the hallway.

Lucy had insisted on giving birth in their home, and Desmond hadn't argued. A hospital would be too public, and the nurses and doctors wouldn't have understood the strange dress of the two men who now blocked Desmond's access to the door.

There was a sudden silence, and then the air was broken by the sound of an indignant wail.

At that sound, not even Ezio and Altair could prevent Desmond from going through the door, and go through it he did, splintering it with a single kick.

The doctor looked startled as she was showered in wood, staring at him in shock.

Lucy blinked at him from the hospital bed that had been set up in their bedroom. "Desmond! Was that really necessary?"

Desmond couldn't speak as he approached the bed, seeing a tiny form lying on Lucy's chest, his wail silenced by the nourishment he drew from his mother.

Desmond looked down at his son, touching his head with a shaking hand.

At his touch, his son's eyes opened, and Desmond saw that the baby's eyes were golden as his were.

The doctor came up behind him, and her voice was awed as she brushed splinters off her lab coat.

"How very unusual...normally a newborn's final eye color isn't apparent until about age 3 months...but his eyes are definitely yours, Mr. Miles."

Desmond didn't speak, and Lucy smiled wearily at him. "There were a few snags, but we got him here safe and sound..." she said, and Desmond kissed her carefully.

"He's beautiful, Luce, and so are you."

Lucy laughed quietly. "It's nice of you to say, but I'm a wreck."

Desmond's son watched him curiously from his mother's chest, apparently having lost interest in the food and Desmond glanced at Lucy. "Think he'd mind being held?"

Lucy smiled.

"I'm sure he wouldn't, Des. You're his Daddy, after all."

Desmond chuckled as the doctor stepped in, showing Desmond how to swaddle the infant. Desmond held his son close for a moment, and his voice was soft as he looked down into the curious gaze and said, "Good morning, Kyle."

**A/N: Okay...after weeks of frantic writing, Man of the World is done. Let me know what you think. I've got several tie-in story ideas for this universe, but I'm not sure how much interest there is out there to see them...if you want to see more stories set in the MotW universe, let me know!**


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